That link between plant-based eating habits and type 2 diabetes is even more beneficial when only healthy plant-based foods -- such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and nuts -- are included in your daily diet, as opposed to refined grains, starches and sugars, according to the study, published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.
"We found
that eating plant-based diets was associated with, on average, 23% reduction in
diabetes risk," said Dr. Qi Sun, an associate professor in the Department
of Nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston and
senior author of the paper.
"We further
showed that individuals who consumed a healthy version of the plant-based diet
by emphasizing the intake of fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and
legumes, and minimizing intake of sugar-sweetened beverages and refined
carbohydrates, had a further 30% reduction in their risk of developing type 2
diabetes," he said. "I would describe these risk reductions as being
quite significant."
Doctors have long
known that a healthy diet -- along with regular exercise, maintaining a healthy
body weight and not smoking -- are among the ways to prevent or delay the onset
of type 2 diabetes.
"Indeed, a
vegetarian or other plant-based diets that are high in free sugars and refined
carbohydrates is likely to increase risk of type 2 diabetes especially when
associated with low levels of physical activity," Tom Sanders, professor
emeritus of nutrition and dietetics at King's College London noted in a written
statement distributed by the Science Media Centre in the UK. He was not
involved in the new paper.
Globally, diabetes
is on the rise -- the number of people with diabetes has climbed from 108
million in 1980 to 422 million in 2014, according to the World Health
Organization.
The new paper
involved reviewing nine previously published studies on plant-based eating
habits and type 2 diabetes among adults. Those studies included a total of
23,544 cases of type 2 diabetes.
After reviewing
the data in those studies, the researchers found that a higher adherence to a
plant-based diet was associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes -- and
that was consistent across all age groups and despite a person's body mass
index.
Body mass index,
or BMI, is a person's weight in kilograms divided by the square of their height
in meters, and the measurement is used to screen for obesity. A BMI of 25 to
29.9 is considered overweight, and a BMI of 30 or greater is considered obese.
There were some
limitations in the new paper, including that the dietary data in the studies
were based on people self-reporting their eating habits, which poses a risk of
bias. Also only an association between plant-based diets and lower diabetes
risk was found. More research is needed to determine if a causal relationship
indeed exists.
"The paper
does support what has been reported before, that diets with high fibre content
are associated with reduced risk of cardio-vascular and metabolic
diseases," Alexandra Johnstone, a senior research fellow at the University
of Aberdeen's Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health in Scotland, said in a
written statement distributed by the Science Media Centre in the UK. She was
not involved in the new paper.
"Future research
needs to focus on what components of a plant-based diet are linked to
preventative health effects," she said in the statement.
The new paper
relied on those previously published studies to define "plant-based
diet" but in general, "there are many types of diets that can be
regarded as a plant-based diet, ranging from the strict vegan diet, the
vegetarian diets, to diets that emphasize the intake of plant-based foods but
do not completely exclude animal product intake," Harvard's Sun said.
The paper showed
that eating a primarily plant-based diet that included some animal products,
such as meat, can still be beneficial, Sun said. "Keep in mind that many
healthy eating patterns, such as Mediterranean diet or DASH diet, are also
largely plant-based. For people who already practice these diets, I think they
are on the right path."
In 2018, the top
spot for best overall diet was a tie between the Mediterranean diet and the
DASH diet, which stands for dietary approaches to stop hypertension, or high
blood pressure. This year, DASH came in second.
When it came to
diabetes diets in particular, the Mediterranean diet still held the No. 1 spot
in the rankings.
Four diets tied
for second place in the US News and World Report ranking: the DASH diet, the
flexitarian diet, the Volumetrics diet and the Mayo Clinic diet, which says it
provides personalized meal plans, weight and fitness trackers and the expertise
of nearly a dozen experts.
"The foods in
the Mediterranean diet are really high in antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and
fiber, which are all key components for reducing the risk for chronic
disease," Atlanta registered dietitian Rahaf Al Bochi, who teaches the
Mediterranean diet to her clients and is also a spokeswoman for the Academy of
Nutrition and Dietetics, said in January.
"It's more
than a diet, it's a lifestyle," she said. "It also encourages eating
with friends and family, socializing over meals, mindfully eating your favorite
foods, as well as mindful movement and exercise for a complete healthy
lifestyle."
No comments:
Post a Comment
Due to the high number of spammy comments we have decided to initiate comment moderation so that we can maintain our quality standards and make good environment for our visitors. Please leave your comment