Approximately 7.8 percent of Americans have diabetes, a disease that affects the body's ability to produce or use insulin properly. Presently there is no cure for diabetes, but diabetes can be controlled or possibly reversed with a vegan diet.
Veganism as a Cure for Diabetes:
Studies also suggest a vegan diet, in addition to controlling diabetes, may also reverse diabetes. "Diabetes is not necessarily a one-way street" explains Andrew Nicholson, M.D. "Early studies suggest that persons with type 2 diabetes can improve and, in some cases, even reverse the disease by switching to an unrefined, vegan diet."
Working with Georgetown University, Dr. Nicholson compared two different diets: a high-fiber, low-fat, vegan diet and the more commonly used ADA diet. At the end of the study, the vegan group had the best results. For starters, fasting blood sugars decreased 59 percent more in the vegan group. The vegans also needed less medication to control their blood sugars while the ADA group needed just as much medicine as before. In other words, the vegans were taking less medicine, but were in better control of their diabetes. The vegans also lost a whopping 16 pounds on average when the ADA group only lost 8 pounds on average. Cholesterol levels were also lower in the vegan group at the end of the study.
These results were also reproduced in a similar study by Neal D. Barnard, M.D. and his collegues which concluded that a low-fat vegan diet improves glycemic control and cardivascular risk factors in individuals with type 2 diabetes.
Likewise, in a 2006 study published in the journal Diabetes Care, 43 percent of people with type 2 diabetes who ate a low-fat vegan diet reduced their need for diabetes medications. "Some research indicates that a vegetarian diet makes your body more responsive to insulin — which is a very good thing if you have diabetes" explains Mayo Clinic endocrinologist Maria Collazo-Clavell, M.D.
Giving up meat can also help a diabetic gain better blood glucose control. “Generally, vegetarian diets tend to be higher in fiber and [full of] lower glycemic index foods … that can impact someone’s blood glucose in a positive way,” says Amy Campbell, MS, RD, CDE, a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator at the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston.
Testimonials:
Participants in Dr. Nicholson's study at Georgetown University boasted their positive experiences: “I was amazed at how powerful the vegan diet was right from the beginning. The blood sugars and weight just started falling off” one participant said. Another commented, “[After 12 weeks] I managed to lose, at last count, 17 pounds. I am no longer on medication for diabetes, and I am no longer on medication for blood pressure. So, actually, it’s been a very, very positive result for me.” Others even found unexpected benefits: “My asthma has really improved. I’m not taking as much asthma medicine because I can breathe better. The overall mental outlook on how I feel about myself as a diabetic is much more hopeful now, as I am self-sufficient with a diet that makes sense for me.”
Vegan Blogger, Natala C., also recently shared her own experiences in an interview, "I have been obese since the age of 11. I tried every single diet known to man between 11 and 30 years old. When I was 25 I was diagnosed with diabetes. At the time, it was so severe that my systems were starting to shut down." Natala continued, "For 5 years I went to doctor after doctor, trying to get help. My diabetes kept getting worse. Last year I got an infection in my right calf, and there was a possibility that if it did not go away I would have to have part of my calf amputated. My blood sugar numbers were on a constant roller coaster, despite trying every medication and every diet." Then Natala went vegan. "Before going vegan my health was a disaster. I was on over 100 units of insulin per day and 8 medications for various problems. Currently I am taking no insulin and I am not on any medications, and my blood sugar is completely in control and I continue to lose a lot of weight."
You can also watch this video testimonal from four success stories: "Treating Diabetes with a Vegan Diet".
Get it Local: Attend the New York City Diabetes EXPO on September 26, 2009 or contact the New York City Dept. of Health and Mental Hygeine for local help, resources and information.
For more info on veganism and diabetes: Read "Vegan Menu for People with Diabetes" by Chef Nancy Berkoff, EdD, RD, watch "A Diabetic Diet Option: Become a Vegetarian" on YouTube, read Eat to Live by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, The China Study by T. Colin Campbell or The McDougall Program by Dr. John McDougall.
For healthy, low-fat vegan recipes: visit happyherbivore.com
Comments
Lindsay,
Thank you for your article. there is indeed mounting evidence that a vegan diet can play a significant role in the care and management of diabetes.
As a nutritionist with a specialty in diabetes,I was actually involved with Dr. Neal Barnard and a two year study to see the effects of a vegan diet on diabetes. I was the cooking instructor for both groups: low fat( control) and vegan.
Dr. Barnard wrote a betselling book by Rodale last year marking the results( the vegan diet did indeed have a significant effect on the study particpants overall diabetes management) and together we are writing and have just submitted our manuscript (whew!)for our first ever Dr. written and endorsed vegan cookbook,due out by Da Capo Lifelong Press in June 2010.
But I have one quibble with your opening paragrpahs about the ADA. As the Food Editor of the American Diabetes Associations awardwinning Diabetes Forecast Magazine, you should know that nowhere in any of our literature do we..
say to avoid potatoes, mangoes, bananas, grapes, etc. I am not sure where you got your information from, but it is not the American Diabetes Associations position on those foods.
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