KEY WORDS Type2 diabetes, plant foods, vegan and vegetarian diets, glycemic index, nuts, vegetable proteins, soy, plant sterols, fiber DIABETES AND PLANT FOOD-BASED DIETS There are few … 610S Am J Clin Nutr 2003;78(suppl):610S-6S. Printed in USA. ©2003 American Society for Clinical Nutrition Type2 diabetes and the vegetarian diet 1-4 David JA Jenkins, Cyril WC Kendall, Augustine Marchie, Alexandra L Jenkins, Livia SA Augustin, David S Ludwig, Neal D Barnard, and James W Anderson ABSTRACT Based on what is known of the components …

In addition to diet trials, cohort studies have tended to support vegetarian diets or increased consumption of plant foods in the prevention of diabetes. In the Seventh-day Adventist Study cohort of 25698 adults identified in 1960 and followed for 21 y, self- reported diabetes was lower in vegetarians than in nonvegetarians. The association with meat consumption was not confounded by body weight, other dietary factors, or exercise (13). A 20-y follow-up of a US cohort of 9665 adults aged 25-74 in which 1018 developed diabetes indicated that participants consuming 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables daily compared with none had a relative risk for diabetes of 0.73 (CI: 0.54,0.98) largely because of the beneficial effect on women, for whom the relative risk was 0.54 (CI: 0.36,0.81) (14). Supporting data came from the Health Professionals study of 42504 men aged 40-75 y where consumption of a “prudent”diet (fish, poultry, vegetables) versus a “Western”diet (red and processed meats and French fries) resulted in a relative risk of 0.84 (CI: 0.70,1.00) in the 12-yfollow- up; during those 12 y, 1321 new cases of diabetes were diagnosed (15). Finally, from the same study there is a recent report that supports the contention that processed meats may increase the incidence of diabetes, possibly through their nitrite content, with bacon showing the most significant trend (16). There is therefore an urgent need for further assessments of the effects of plant-based diets in diabetes, especially in view of the benefits of such diets in nondiabetic subjects and the increasing recognition of the potential benefits of components of plant-based diets in both hyperlipidemia and diabetes. These components include dietary fiber, vegetable proteins, plant sterols, unsaturated vegetable oils, and slow-release carbohydrates (especially of cereal and legume origin). METABOLIC BENEFITS OF PLANT FOOD COMPONENTS Increased intake of fruits and vegetables has been endorsed as public health policy for a number of reasons. Displacement of saturated fat and increased intake of fiber have been seen as general reasons for increasing fruit and vegetable consumption. Increased fiber intake may improve glycemic control in diabetes (17). Fruits and vegetables in the highly successful Dietary Approaches to ….

Download Type 2 diabetes and the vegetarian diet.Pdf