Diabetes: does the vegetarian diet have any interest?
An international study reveals that a vegetarian diet for diabetics only actually provides moderate health benefits in the face of diabetes. The data supporting this finding was presented in the journal Cardiovascular Diagnosis and Therapy (1) and clarifies that this diet should be considered as part of an overall healthy lifestyle and not as a treatment for diabetes.
The benefits of a vegetarian or vegan diet
Researchers from Keio University in Japan and George Washington University in the USA scrupulously studied 477 studies on the subject, to retain a total of 6, followed over a period of at least 4 weeks and specifying the evolution of the glycated hemoglobin level. They also correlated these different data, which represent a total of 255 participants, all suffering from type 2 diabetes and aged 52 on average.
This analysis mostly reveals that vegetarian and vegan diets provide a moderate decrease in glycated hemoglobin. However, this still significant reduction does not make it possible to consider the vegetarian diet as an initiator of a treatment .
Furthermore, this analysis shows that this diet has no effect on fasting glycaemia, which represents an indicator making it possible to assess the body’s ability to metabolize glucose in the short term. A study that has similarities with what the Medical University of Graz in Austria sought to demonstrate a few months ago.
It should be noted, however, that vegetarian and vegan diets allow a massive and very significant reduction in caloric intake.
The difference between a vegetarian diet and a vegan diet
We define a vegetarian diet as a diet excluding meat , as well as poultry, without forgetting fish. On the other hand, a vegan diet is a diet including an exclusion of all products of animal origin, without exception.
These diets are mainly considered in the desire for weight loss, but not only. It can also be a real way of life comprising different principles:
- Ensure and contribute to a better state of health
- Prevent all kinds of diseases, in particular, cardiovascular diseases, or obesity
- Participate in the protection of the environment
- Respect for animal rights
- Promoting responsible consumption
These diets can also be followed in certain religious precepts.
In conclusion, vegetarian and vegan diets can help maintain and balance a healthy lifestyle for a person with diabetes. However , it is necessary to ensure a good balance with regard to the intake of fats, salt and sugar, which are essential for the proper functioning of the body.
In addition, it should not be forgotten that these diets should not and cannot in any case constitute a treatment . In the case of diabetes, the question of dietary balance is essential and must be treated with a doctor.
Stephen Paul is the lead author and founder of My Health Sponsor. Holder of a diploma in health and well-being coaching with more than 200 articles in the field of health, he makes it a point of honor to offer advice based on reliable information, based on scientific research, and verified by health professionals.