Is a Vegetarian Diet Best for Diabetes?

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of the disease that affects millions of people worldwide. But diabetes can also be caused by autoimmunity, known as type 1 that develops early in life. Pregnant women are at risk for gestational diabetes from hormones released during pregnancy that raise blood sugar levels. Can diabetes be avoided or controlled with a vegetarian diet?

Diabetes risk lower with less meat before pregnancy

According to a finding from the NIH/National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, published January, 2012 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, women who ate a high animal fat diet prior to becoming pregnant had a higher risk of gestational diabetes that persisted even for women who exercised to thwart high blood sugars during pregnancy.

Study author Cuilin Zhang, M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D., of the Epidemiology Branch at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) said in a press release, "Our findings indicate that women who reduce the proportion of animal fat and cholesterol in their diets before pregnancy may lower their risk for gestational diabetes during pregnancy.”

The recommendation from the researchers is that women who are planning pregnancy reduce their intake of animal fat and cholesterol to 5% of total daily calories. Less animal fat in the diet was associated with a 7% lower risk of gestational diabetes.

Vegetarians at lower risk for diabetes from metabolic syndrome

An April 2011 study published in the journal Diabetes Care indeed suggested vegetarians have a 36% lower chance of developing metabolic syndrome that leads to heart disease, stroke and diabetes, compared to meat eaters.

Vegetarians can still develop metabolic syndrome but eating a plant based diet was found to lower the chances from 39% for meat eaters to just 25% for vegetarians. Semi-vegetarians risk for metabolic syndrome was 37% per the study results.

Lead researcher Nico S. Rizzo, PhD said the finding, which came from a long-term study lifestyle and health of almost 100,000 Seventh-day Adventist Christians across the United States and Canada, was a ‘surprise’.

"I was not sure if there would be a significant difference between vegetarians and non-vegetarians, and I was surprised by just how much the numbers contrast," he continues. "It indicates that lifestyle factors such as diet can be important in the prevention of metabolic syndrome”.

According to the National Institutes of Health, the two most important risk factors for metabolic syndrome that can lead to diabetes and complications of stroke and heart disease are increased waist circumference and insulin resistance.

Gary Fraser, MD, PhD who headed the Adventist Study 2 says, "Trending toward a plant-based diet is a sensible choice."

Switching to a vegetarian diet, combined with exercising at least 3 times a week might also offer significant protection against diabetes for African-Americans who are at greater risk for developing the disease.

Blacks are also more likely to experience type 2 diabetes complications that include kidney disease and amputation of the extremities, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Humana Services.

"These findings are encouraging for preventing type 2 diabetes in the black population, which is more susceptible to the disease than other populations," said Serena Tonstad, MD, a professor at Loma Linda University and lead author of the research, published in the October, 2011 issue of Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular Diseases.

Just adopting a Mediterranean diet that includes plenty of plant-based foods such as olive oil, grains, fruits, nuts and vegetables, fish and is low in meat, dairy products and alcohol might cut your chances of developing type 2 diabetes by 35%, according to findings published in 2008 in the British Medical Journal.

Plant based food could cut risk of type 2 diabetes complications

Eating nuts, such as almonds, fiber food that include oats and barley, plant sterols and soy proteins that are part of a vegetarian diet can help keep cholesterol levels in check. High cholesterol is a major contributor to heart disease for people with type 2 diabetes.

A 2003 report published in the Journal of Clinical Nutrition also suggested reducing meat in the diet can protect the kidneys from harm and “could produce very significant metabolic advantages for the prevention and treatment of diabetes and its complications.”

Eating a plant-based diet is also humane, considering current factory farming methods, found by the Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production (PCIFAP) to “…threaten public health, the environment, animal health and well-being, and rural communities.”

If you’re considering a vegetarian diet for preventing or managing type 2 diabetes, speak with your doctor first.

Studies show vegetarians have less chance of developing type 2 diabetes from metabolic syndrome and that eating a plant based diet has benefits for controlling the disease that is expected to affect 1 in 10 people by the year 2030. Women might also cut their risk of gestational diabetes by lowering their intake of meat before getting pregnant.

Resources
NIH News
“High animal fat diet increases gestational diabetes risk”
January 25, 2012

Source: http://www.emaxhealth.com/1020/vegetarian-diet-best-diabetes

Plant-Based Diets: Facts and Fiction II

Myth 5: Certain combinations of foods have to be eaten at the same meal to get the right amino acids (the building blocks of protein).

FACT: There is no need to combine foods at meals to get right proteins in the diet. If one follows the recommended amounts and number of servings of the Vegetarian Food Pyramid, one will be getting adequate amounts of the protein..

Myth 6: All vegetarian diets are low in fat.

FACT: Vegetarian diets may or may not be low in fat. It all depends upon the choices one makes. Some high fat foods commonly used by vegetarians are avocadoes, olives and olive oil, nuts, nut and soy based milk type beverages and seeds. These fats are moderate to low in saturated fats. They can also choose cheese, egg yolks and cream which are foods high in saturated fat.

Myth 7: Vegetarian diets are dull and boring.

FACT: A diet can become boring when one eats the same foods every day. With the abundance of foods to choose from and the variety of ways to prepare them, a diet without meat need not be either dull or boring.

Myth 8: Vegetarian diets can cure cancer and heart disease.

FACT: Because most lacto-ovo-vegetarian diets are nutritionally sound, higher in fiber, lower in cholesterol and contain more fruits and vegetables, this diet pattern can reduce a person's risk of many cancers and certain types of heart disease. However, even vegetarians must follow all the precautions physicians prescribe for decreasing the risk of these diseases.

Plant-Based Diets: Facts and Fiction Part I

Source: http://www.sdada.org/plant.htm

Plant-Based Diets: Facts and Fiction I

In our meat and potatoes or hamburger and fries American diet, there is often concerned about the health of those who eat mostly plant-based foods.  The following will help separate the fiction from the facts.

Myth 1: All plant-based diets are about the same.

FACT: No. Vegetarians who eat milk or eggs are called "lacto-ovo-vegetarians".  Those who eat no animal products are called "vegans", or strict or total vegetarians.  There are many variations of these two main types of plant-based diets.

When someone declares himself/herself a "vegetarian" it is best to ask the person exactly which foods are eaten and which are avoided.  Most likely, the person is a"lacto-ovo-vegetarian".

Myth 2: There are very few vegetarians.

FACT: Recently it is estimated that about 10% of the USA is vegetarian.  Restaurants report that about 27% of the customers want a vegetarian option when they order.

Myth 3: A diet without meat is nutritionally deficient.

FACT: All vegetarian diets can provide all the essential nutrients to a person choosing from an abundant food supply.  However, as a diet becomes more restrictive, it may be more difficult to get all the necessary nutrients.  Following the guidelines outlined in the Vegetarian Food Pyramid provides most nutrients in adequate supply. Remember that the adequacy of any diet depends on the variety and the amount of foods that are included.  Consult a registered dietitian for accurate diet instruction.

The nutrients of greatest concern in the vegan or macrobiotic-type diets are vitamin B12, vitamin D, calcium, iron, and zinc.  Nutrient needs are greatest during periods of growth.

Myth 4: One can't possibly get enough protein without meat and/or milk and eggs.

FACT: It is difficult not to get enough protein if one eats sufficient amounts and variety of food to maintain a healthful body weight. All foods, except sugar and oil, contain some protein. Plant-based diets get protein from legumes (dried peas and beans), seeds, nuts, whole grains, and for the lacto-ovo-vegetarian, also from milk and eggs.

Plant-Based Diets: Facts and Fiction Part II

Source: http://www.sdada.org/plant.htm

Vegans Don’t Get Enough Nutrition?

Compared to many mammals on the planet, humans are tiny with much less muscle mass. However, these giants animals, like hippos and giraffes and horses and cows are vegans. They eat plant-based diets and they grow strong and heavy muscles without the addition of meat to their diets. This is because protein is found in plant foods. Every plant food has protein in it in varying amounts. The same goes for calcium. By eating meat and dairy, we are just consuming the middleman, while taking out all the fiber and adding a lot of fat. Even if you don’t follow the ethics part of veganism, the diet speaks for itself. It’s healthier because there is less fat and more essential nutrients in plants.

B12 deficiency can cause blindness. But it is very rare and there are lots of foods that contain B12. But as a measure of protection against the unlikely possibility that this might happen to a vegan, Dr. John McDougall suggests taking a B12 supplement.

The vegan diet is healthier than the Standard American Diet, regardless of what omnivores want to believe. In ten years when you are running marathons and have almost no cholesterol (except what your body naturally produces) while they’re obese and lying on the couch, ask them again.

An Apple a Day May Help Fight Obesity

A compound found in apple peels called ursolic acid may protect against obesity, a new study in mice suggests.

In the study, mice that ate a high-fat diet over several weeks that included ursolic acid developed more muscle mass, and more calorie-burning brown fat, than mice eating the same diet without the chemical.

"Since muscle is very good at burning calories, the increased muscle in ursolic acid-treated mice may be sufficient to explain how ursolic acid reduces obesity," said study researcher Dr. Christopher Adams, an associate professor of internal medicine at the University of Iowa.

However, the increase in brown fat — an unexpected finding — may also help protect against obesity, Adams said, noting that researchers don't know how the compound might exert this effect on brown fat.

Previous studies by these researchers showed that ursolic acid increased muscle mass and strength in healthy mice. In the new study, they tested the compound in mice likely to develop obesity and metabolic syndrome. In people, having metabolic syndrome means having at least three major risk factors for heart disease, such as too much abdominal fat, high triglycerides and high blood pressure.

The researchers found that the mice that consumed ursolic acid gained less weight and were less likely to develop conditions similar to pre-diabetes and fatty liver disease, despite the fact that they ate more food than the mice that did not consume the compound. There was no difference in physical activity between the groups, the researchers said.

The researchers have not tested the compound in people, and research in rodents often doesn't produce the same results in humans. "We don't know if ursolic acid will benefit people," Adams said.

Still, he said, it's possible that the compound could someday be used as treatment for muscle wasting, which occurs in healthy people during aging, and also in some conditions such as cancer.

Some studies have linked increased levels of brown fat with lower levels of obesity, and healthier levels of blood sugar and fats, according to the researchers. The researchers measured the mice's energy expenditure, and found that those fed ursolic acid burned more calories than mice that didn't consume the chemical.

Some evidence suggests brown fat may be helpful in preventing obesity and diabetes.

"Brown fat is beneficial and people are trying to figure out ways to increase it," Adams said. "Our next step is to determine if ursolic acid can help patients."

The study was published June 20 in the journal PLoS ONE, and was funded by the Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center at the University of Iowa, the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Veterans Affairs and the University of Iowa Research Foundation.