Written by Medically reviewed by Clara Fergus, RD on May 3, 2020 —
Last updated on March 25, 2021 at 12:41 pm
Are you looking for a realistic way to manage your blood sugar levels? Are you diabetic, or one of the millions of Americans at risk of developing diabetes if you don’t make a change?
Recent research suggests that following a plant-based diet can lower the risk of type 2 diabetes. This lifestyle has been proven to aid in controlling blood sugar levels and minimizing the risk of developing diabetes, while still allowing you to be flexible with what you choose to eat.
There are so many diets out there that claim to be the best way to manage diabetes and prevent the complications associated with the illness. It can be incredibly overwhelming, but here are the facts.
What is Type 2 Diabetes?
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, over 30 million Americans live with diabetes, and an additional 84 million have prediabetes (1).
Type 2 diabetes is a condition where cells in your body don’t properly respond to the hormone insulin, which causes sugar, or glucose, levels to increase in the blood higher than normal levels (2). In advanced stages of the condition, the body may also not produce enough insulin.
Chronic high blood sugar levels can lead to long term damage over time. Type 2 diabetes has no cure; however, it can be managed through diet and exercise.
What is Prediabetes?
Prediabetes is when you have consistently high blood sugar levels, but they are not high enough to be classed as diabetes. Without intervention, prediabetes usually develops into diabetes within five years.
How Does Your Blood Sugar Increase?
The most common way for blood sugar levels to increase is through eating. The foods you eat, specifically ones containing carbohydrates, are broken down, releasing glucose into the bloodstream and increasing blood glucose levels.
Therefore, you can manage diabetes and prevent the transition of prediabetes into diabetes through your diet. The foods you eat directly influence the levels of sugar in your blood.
American Diabetes Association (ADA) on Plant-Based Diets
Plant-based diets consist of whole, natural foods, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and legumes. The diet aims to minimize processed foods, animal products, and foods high in refined sugars.
Following a plant-based diet encourages the consumption of natural foods that contain fewer sugars and additives than a typical Western diet.
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) suggested that a plant-based diet is beneficial for the management of type 2 diabetes, as well as the prevention of the development of type 2 diabetes (3). The ADA recently endorsed plant-based diets for the management of type 2 diabetes, and plant-based diets are now outlined by clinicians in treatment programs for diabetes (4).
This is because many (but not all) foods that are part of a plant-based diet have fewer calories, fats, and sugars than a typical American diet. Consistently lower blood sugar levels allow diabetics to maintain their condition more easily.
Additionally, plant-based diets have been proven beneficial for weight loss and reducing the risk of other health conditions, such as heart conditions and cancer, and those additional problems are known risks to diabetics. Because of this, the ADA considers a plant-based diet an important part of the treatment program.
Studies on Plant-Based Diets and Diabetes
Studies have shown that those following a plant-based diet have lower body mass indexes and a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, cancer, and heart disease in their lifetime (5, 6, 7).
People that follow a plant-based diet are more likely to consume more fruit, vegetables, and grains, which are higher in fiber, and less calorically dense, which helps with weight loss, and reduces the risk of obesity and therefore diabetes. The high fiber content of plant-based foods also helps with glycemic control in diabetes (8).
One study from the George Washington University School of Medicine investigated the ADA’s plant-based diet on 99 individuals with type 2 diabetes (9). They concluded that this diet led to a decreased need for diabetic medications, a decrease in body weight, and decreased reductions in lipids such as cholesterols.
These findings suggest that the ADA plant-based diet improves blood sugar management in people with type 2 diabetes as well as having overall health benefits.
Studies have also proven that changes in blood sugar levels happen rapidly after adopting a plant-based diet (10). So switching to a plant-based diet can quickly alter someone’s diabetic state, allowing for a fast change in their condition. Maintenance of the change in diet has further proven the long-term benefits of a plant-based diet on the impact of diabetes.
Diabetes-Related Conditions
The consistent management of diabetes minimizes the potential development of further conditions associated with diabetes.
One of the risks of unmanaged diabetes is the development of chronic health conditions, including heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, kidney and liver failure, retinopathy, neuropathy, and an increased risk of certain cancers. Therefore, those with diabetes must be able to manage the condition to minimize the potential of these complications.
Plant-based diets allow for the maintenance of controlled diabetes so that it does not escalate to a position where these conditions could develop.
Studies have proven that as well as aiding in blood-sugar level management, whole, natural foods consumed in a plant-based diet are also highly beneficial in aiding in weight loss and reducing the risk of obesity (11).
Excessive weight is a risk factor for the development of type 2 diabetes, as well as many of the listed conditions. Plant-based diets benefit the ability to manage diabetes itself and also prevent the development or worsening of conditions due to other comorbidities.
Low Carb Diets for Diabetes?
It has long been known that those with diabetes should limit foods high in carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are known to greatly contribute to blood glucose levels, making it hard for diabetics to manage their levels. Because of this, it is not uncommon for many diabetics to follow a low-carb diet.
However, in recent years, studies have found that low-carb diets can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes (12).
Studies on Low-Carb and Plant-Based Diets
A study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health found that low-carb diets were associated with a 37% increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes (13).
Interestingly, when the protein and fat sources of the diet were switched from animal-based to plant-based, the risk of type 2 diabetes development decreased by 22%. This suggests that plant-based diets may protect against the development of type 2 diabetes.
Another study in Germany found that increased carbohydrate intake in conjunction with lower protein can decrease the risk of developing type 2 diabetes (14).
These findings all indicate that low-carb diets, which were originally assumed to aid in the management and development of diabetes, may not be as beneficial as originally thought. Recent evidence suggests that healthy, balanced, plant-based diets are a more beneficial way of managing and preventing diabetes.
Vegan Diet for Diabetes
It has also been noted that vegans have lower incidences of type 2 diabetes. The low levels of saturated fats, cholesterol, added sugars and the inclusion of high-fiber foods in vegan diets allows for low and easily maintained blood sugar levels. Additionally, vegans have consistently lower body mass indexes than non-vegans.
What is a Vegan Diet?
A vegan diet essentially means cutting out any animal products, including meat and dairy. Many people following vegan diets, also minimize added sugars and fats.
Like with a plant-based diet, meals consist mostly of fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes. The key difference between a plant-based diet and a vegan diet is that the rules of a vegan diet are very strict. To be vegan, you must not incorporate any animal products into your diet.
However, plant-based diets allow for the incorporation of small amounts of animal products depending on personal preference. Plant-based diets are a vegan-like lifestyle but you can adapt the vegan diet to fit your personal needs and food preferences.
Studies on Vegan Diets and Diabetes
As with a plant-based diet, vegan diets have been proven to be beneficial in preventing type 2 diabetes. A study involving over 60,000 participants found that vegans were half as likely to develop diabetes when compared to non-vegans (15).
Those following a vegan diet also had consistently lower body mass indexes, further protecting against the possible development of type 2 diabetes.
How Do Vegan Diets Help Diabetes?
The lack of meat, saturated fat, and added sugars in the diet, as well as the addition of fiber and antioxidants from fruit and vegetables, minimizes the risk of the development of diabetes, as well as allowing for easier maintenance of diabetes. This means that there are also fewer diabetic-related illnesses such as neuropathy and retinopathy present in those following a vegan diet.
However, vegan diets are notoriously hard to stick to. It is not uncommon for people to struggle under the strict rules of vegan diets, further discouraging them from the idea of dieting completely.
Why Choose Plant-Based?
A plant-based diet follows a similar structure as a vegan diet, without the same level of restrictions. Those following a plant-based diet can be flexible with what they eat, while still following the same principles. It allows you to feel as though what you are eating is still your choice, and it often makes plant-based diets easier to stick to in the long term.
Plus, you get many of the same benefits! Plant-based diets have demonstrated their benefits in reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes, just as vegan diets have.
The Best Way to Manage Your Diabetes
Changing your diet and lifestyle allows for better management of diabetes. It has also become clear that minimizing sugars, fats, and animal products can help manage and reduce your risk of diabetes.
Plant-Based Diets Can Help Moderate Your Diabetes
A plant-based diet emphasizes all of these key factors, while still allowing you to feel as though you are in control of what you eat. Plant-based diets can be adjusted to suit everyone at risk of or suffering from diabetes. They can adapt to any lifestyle without making you feel as though you are cutting all enjoyable foods out of your life.
As diabetes is a chronic condition that needs to be managed over a long period, the importance of finding a lifestyle change that you can adhere to for a long period is vital. The benefits of plant-based diets are evident in the fact that they are now being recommended by the ADA.
The Bottom Line
As the rates of diabetes dramatically increase across the globe, finding lifestyle changes that reduce the risk and are easy to adhere to are important. Plant-based diets have been proven to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and allow for simpler maintenance of blood sugar levels.
Plant-based diets are already a growing lifestyle change among Americans to lose weight and improve overall health, and they are now rapidly being incorporated into the lives of those suffering from diabetes.
