 Groundbreaking
PCRM Study Shows the Dramatic Impact of a Low-Fat Vegan Diet
More than 20 million Americans have diabetes, a condition that
greatly increases the risk of heart problems and other complications.
A new study has shown that a low-fat vegan diet treats type 2 diabetes
more effectively than a standard diabetes diet and may be more
effective than single-agent therapy with oral diabetes drugs. The
randomized controlled trial was conducted by doctors and dietitians
with PCRM, George Washington University, and the University of
Toronto, with funding from the National Institutes of Health and
the Diabetes Action Research and Education Foundation.
The study
involved 99 individuals in the greater Washington, D.C., area with
type 2 diabetes. Half the group was randomly assigned to follow
a low-fat vegan diet, with no limits on calories, carbohydrate,
or portion sizes. The other study participants were asked to follow
a diet based on the American Diabetes Association’s (ADA’s)
guidelines, which involves calorie counting and portion control,
but allows most foods, including meats and dairy products, in limited
amounts. Participants in both groups followed the diet for 22 weeks
and received dietary support in the form of cooking demonstrations,
tips on following the diet they were on, and group meetings.
While participants in both groups improved, the vegan group experienced
significantly greater reductions in A1c (a measure of blood sugar
levels over a prolonged period), weight, body mass index, waist
circumference, and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol.
Specifically,
excluding the participants who changed or reduced their medication,
A1c fell 1.23 points in the vegan group, compared with 0.38 points
in the ADA group. Those in the vegan group dropped an average of
6.5 kg (14.3 pounds) each, while those on the ADA diet lost about
3.1 kg (6.8 pounds). Among those who did not change lipid-lowering
medications, LDL cholesterol dropped 21.2 percent in the group
following the vegan diet, and 10.7 percent in the ADA group.
 “The
diet appears remarkably effective, and all the side effects are
good ones—especially weight loss and lower cholesterol,” said lead
researcher Neal D. Barnard, M.D., PCRM president and adjunct associate professor
of medicine at George Washington University. “I hope this study will
rekindle interest in using diet changes first, rather than prescription drugs.”
Study
authors and two participants in the vegan diet group held a news
conference in Washington, D.C., in late July. Dr. Barnard, along
with Joshua Cohen,
M.D., associate professor
of medicine at the George Washington University Medical Center,
and David Jenkins, M.D., Ph.D., Sc.D., of the
University of Toronto, explained to reporters the significance
of the findings. News reports of the study appeared in newspapers
in the U.S. and abroad.
Dr. Barnard's published research in Diabetes Care (August 2006) (PDF)>
Read about two study participants >
A Vegan Diet How-To Guide for Diabetes >
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