Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Vegan Diet Scores Better than American Diabetes Association Diet, Again

The first time was in 2006:

A Low-Fat Vegan Diet Improves Glycemic Control and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in a Randomized Clinical Trial in Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes, Diabetes Care, 2006

Our post from February, Vegan Diet Outshines ADA Diet, outlines some findings of this study and gives a short description of a vegan diet.

The new analysis appears in the October 2008 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association:

Changes in Nutrient Intake and Dietary Quality among Participants with Type 2 Diabetes Following a Low-Fat Vegan Diet or a Conventional Diabetes Diet for 22 Weeks

The 22-week study randomly assigned 99 people with type 2 diabetes to either a low-fat vegan diet or a diet based on the American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommendations.

Their findings:
"Vegan diets increase intakes of carbohydrate, fiber, and several micronutrients, in contrast with the ADA recommended diet. The vegan group improved its AHEI score whereas the ADA recommended diet group's AHEI score remained unchanged."
The AHEI score, or Alternate Healthy Eating Index score, reflects diet quality - a higher score is associated with lower risk for cardiovascular disease.

Some nutrients the vegan group consumed more of:
  • Beta carotene
  • Vitamins K
  • Vitamin C
  • Folate
  • Magnesium
  • Potassium
The vegan group also lost more weight, had lower HbA1Cs, and lower LDL cholesterol. Over half those in the vegan group reduced or eliminated medications compared to about a quarter of those in the ADA group.
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