A new study shows that a plant-based diet can reduce diabetes risk by 24% and improve metabolism
Although diabetes is a global epidemic, it’s often preventable by adopting a healthy lifestyle. A new study shows that a plant-based diet can reduce diabetes risk by 24%.
The study, led by Tilman Kühn from MedUni Vienna’s Center for Public Health, identified improvements in metabolism and liver and kidney function due to the positive effects of a healthy plant-based diet along with a lower likelihood of obesity. However, these benefits can be observed if consumption of animal-based foods as well as industrially processed and highly sugary foods is reduced, a press statement revealed.
The findings, published in the journal Diabetes & Metabolism, a healthy plant-based diet with a good amount of fresh fruit and vegetables and wholemeal products reduces the risk of diabetes by 24%. This remains true even when other factors such as genetic predisposition and other diabetes risk factors such as obesity, advanced age or a lack of physical activity are considered. In contrast, when the diet is accompanied by a high proportion of sweets, refined grains, and sugary drinks, it leads to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes.
“Our study is the first to identify biomarkers of central metabolic processes and organ functions as mediators of the health effects of a plant-based diet,” Kühn said in the statement. The researchers confirmed that normal values for blood lipids (triglycerides), blood sugar (HbA1c), inflammatory parameters and the insulin-like growth factor are associated with a low risk of diabetes.
Notably, a healthy plant-based diet can also improve liver and kidney function and reduce the risk of diabetes, Kühn added.
Previous studies have also shown the foods people consume play a key role in preventing or delaying the onset of diabetes. For instance, a study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in October, suggested switching to plant protein because eating more than one weekly serving of red meat may increase type 2 diabetes risk. Another study, presented at the Annual Meeting of The European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), Hamburg in October, showed that drinking dark tea may help control blood sugar and reduce diabetes risk.
