Vegan Diet Offers Most Health Benefits Among Plant-Based Eating Habits

Vegetarian and vegan diets further reduce body weight, fat and LDL cholesterol and improve insulin sensitivity compared to other plant-based diets, such as a Mediterranean diet, according to two. stakeholders.

Hana Kahleova, MD, PhD, MBA, director of clinical research for the Physicians’ Committee for Responsible Medicine, said adopting a vegan diet could lead to several health benefits and significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and other conditions.

“Vegetarians have half the risk of developing diabetes throughout their lives compared to meat eaters,” Kahleova told Healio. “Vegetarians include lacto-vegetarians. A vegan diet is a bit stricter, so potentially the benefits can be even greater. The vegan diet has proven to be one of the most effective ways to treat diabetes. “

Hana Kahleova

People in the United States have consumed more animal products and refined carbohydrates over the past 70 years. Compared to the eating habits of 1950, Americans today consume 25% more calories, including 68% more meat, 317% more cheese, and 67% more added fats and oils. The typical American diet today consists of around 57% refined carbohydrates, 32% animal products, and 11% plant-based foods.

Meghan Jardine, MS, MBA, RND, LD, CDCES, associate director of diabetes nutrition education for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, said plant-based foods have low calorie density, which means 500 calories from fruits and vegetables will fill the stomach more easily. than 500 calories from meat, cheese or oil.

Meghan Jardine

“Fiber is the key to the metabolic benefits of plant-based diets,” Jardine said in a virtual presentation at the Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists annual conference. “Fiber not only tells your brain it’s full … but fiber also lowers postprandial glucose levels, fiber binds to cholesterol and bile, lowering lipid levels, and fiber also plays a role. a role in the microbiome. ”

In data from 8,300 adults with diabetes from several countries, those with the highest fiber intake had 45% lower all-cause mortality and 39% lower CVD death rates.

Greater weight loss, fat reduction with a vegan diet

Several healthy plant-based eating pattern options are available, including the Mediterranean diet, the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, the Nordic diet, and a vegetarian or vegan diet, Kahleova said. While studies have shown that all four diets have clear health benefits, a strictly vegetarian or vegan diet may provide additional health benefits compared to the Mediterranean, DASH, and Nordic diets.

In a randomized crossover trial, participants ate a low-fat Mediterranean or vegan diet for 16 weeks. At the end of the 16 week period, participants switched to the opposite plan.

After 16 weeks, participants of the vegan diet lost an average of 13 lbs of body weight, 7.7 lbs of body fat and 315 cm³ visceral fat, with no change observed with the Mediterranean diet. Insulin sensitivity also improved and LDL cholesterol was reduced by an average of 15 mg / dL with the vegan diet. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures were reduced with both regimens.

Lower food acid load, higher energy expenditure

A vegan diet offers additional metabolic benefits. In a randomized clinical trial, 44 overweight adults were randomly assigned to a low-fat vegan diet or a control group. At 16 weeks, the vegan diet groups had a 34% reduction in liver fat.

In a separate randomized clinical trial, 244 overweight adults were randomly assigned to a low-fat vegan diet or control group for 16 weeks. Researchers observed a significant drop in dietary acid load with a vegan diet. People on a vegan diet had a potential reduction in renal acid load of 24.3 mEq per day and a reduction in body weight of 14.1 lbs during the study.

Eating a vegan diet could also increase energy expenditure. Researchers randomly assigned trial participants to a vegan diet consisting of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes, or a standard American diet consisting of vegetable halves, a quarter of protein, and ‘a quarter of starch. Those who followed a vegan diet experienced a 14% increase in their energy expenditure, with no changes seen in the standard diet group.

Kahleova said that any plant-based diet offers more health benefits than the typical American diet, but a vegan diet can help advance those health benefits.

“You’re on the right track if you’re following the DASH diet, the Mediterranean diet, or the Nordic diet, it’s definitely better than following the standard American diet,” Kahleova told Healio. “But can you still improve your diet? Absoutely. If you are following the Mediterranean diet and need to lose weight and suffer from hyperlipidemia, you may want to consider going on a vegan diet to get the added benefits and see what a vegan diet can do for you.

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Association of specialists in diabetes care and education