July 27,
2006
New Study Supports Major
Change in Diet Treatment for Diabetes
Vegan Diet Reverses
Type 2 Diabetes!
Low-Fat Vegan Diet Rivals
Oral Diabetes Medications in Federally Funded
Study; Study Participants to Describe Their
Experiences at Briefing with Researchers with
George Washington University and University of
Toronto
WASHINGTON—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, according to a study
in the August issue of Diabetes Care, a journal
published by the American Diabetes Association.
Study participants on the low-fat vegan diet
showed dramatic improvement in four disease
markers: blood sugar control, cholesterol
reduction, weight control, and kidney function.
The randomized controlled trial was conducted by
doctors and dieticians with the Physicians
Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), the
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 vegan diet represents
a major departure from current diabetes diets,
in that it placed no limits on calories,
carbohydrates, or portions. “The diet
appears remarkably effective, and all the side
effects are good ones—especially weight
loss and lower cholesterol,” says lead
researcher Neal D. Barnard, M.D., PCRM president
and adjunct associate professor of medicine at
the George Washington University. “I hope
this study will rekindle interest in using diet
changes first, rather than prescription
drugs.” Diabetes rates have climbed rapidly
in recent years, and more than 20 million
Americans now have the disease, which is linked
to kidney failure, blindness, and cardiovascular
disease.
http://www.pcrm.org/news/release060727.html