
A plant-based diet including whole grains, veggies, nuts, coffee, and legumes may help stave off type 2 diabetes.
According to a study published in Diabetologia, the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, a plant-based diet rich in polyphenols may help keep type 2 diabetes at bay.
Researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health looked at the dietary habits of 10,684 participants.
They compared metabolites and health outcomes to see which eating habits were linked to a lower risk of developing diabetes.
A metabolite is a chemical compound created when the human body breaks down food for energy. It can differ based on the type of diet a person eats.
The researchers observed that people who ate a diet high in plant-based foods like whole grains, veggies, nuts, coffee, and legumes were less likely to develop diabetes versus their counterparts who ate more animal-based foods or processed foods.
Meanwhile, diets high in more processed plant-based foods like refined grains, fruit juice, potatoes, and sweets offered no benefits in lowering risk of diabetes.
Plant-based foods are rich in polyphenols
“The results are not surprising given that the health benefits of healthy plant-based foods have been well-documented,” Dr. Frank Hu, senior author of the study and chair of the nutrition department at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, told Insider.
According to the data from the metabolites, specific nutrients in whole plant foods called polyphenols may be responsible for the health benefits of certain plant-based diets.
The healthy plant-based diet used in the study included whole grains, vegetables, nuts, and legumes, as well as coffee. All of these are rich sources of polyphenols.
These foods give rise to metabolites such as trigonelline – a compound linked to better insulin sensitivity in some research – and hippurate, which has been linked to more stable blood sugar.
The researchers believe that a closer study of these metabolites could help them understand how different plant-based diets influence disease risk, and how certain diets may help prevent diabetes.
“When adopting a plant-based diet, we recommend consumers to choose healthy plant foods, such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, and nuts,” Hu said.
“Limit the consumption of unhealthy plant foods, such as refined grains like white bread and pizza and high glycemic foods like sweets and sugar-sweetened beverages.”
Other studies
Several other studies also point to the health benefits of eating fruits and vegetables.
Last year, Health check service Medichecks surveyed 10,000 Brits to explore the effects of a plant-based diet versus meat.
It found that vegans had a lower blood sugar (HbA1c) count, meaning a decreased risk of type 2 diabetes.
Share this story: Vegan diet can reduce diabetes risk, new research find.
Lifestyle
Vegan culture, food, beauty & more
Bear Grylls ’embarrassed’ by past vegan diet promotes meat, blood, and bone marrow for better health
- Mohsina Dodhiya
- 15th May 2023
“I’ve tried to listen to my body more, tried to listen to nature, and I don’t miss vegetables at all. I don’t go near them, and I’ve never felt stronger, my skin’s never been better, and my gut’s never been better.” Adventurer and TV presenter Bear Grylls has become a die-hard carnivore fan after admitting …
Pro-farming group mocks plant-based food truck for setting up a stall at horse trials
- Mohsina Dodhiya
- 12th May 2023
A plant-based food business has sparked an online debate after a pro-farming page mocked it for doing no sales at a recently held horse event. Farmers Against Misinformation posted an image of a plant-based food van on Facebook and wrote alongside it: “The only food stand with no queue today at the Badminton Horse Trials.” …
VEGAN MEMES
NEED A LAUGH?
QUIZZES
All the quizzes you love to binge!
QUIZ: If you score 11/12 on this quiz, you’re a verified vegan food expert
- Marlon Farrugia
- 10th January 2020
How much vegan knowledge do you have stored away? Do you have to Google your way through a shopping trip, or do you have all the bad E-numbers memorised? Find out now with this quiz. Marlon Farrugia Marlon Farrugia is a freelance writer from Brighton. He has been a dedicated vegan for many years, and …
Continue reading “QUIZ: If you score 11/12 on this quiz, you’re a verified vegan food expert”
QUIZ: What is your perfect Vegan Halloween Costume?
- Marlon Farrugia
- 13th October 2019
Spook Season approaches. There will be ghosts, goblins, ghouls, and glucose. You need a costume, and you want to it to show off your personality, which means VEGAN. But what to choose? Take our quiz to find out your perfect outfit. Marlon Farrugia Marlon Farrugia is a freelance writer from Brighton. He has been a …
Continue reading “QUIZ: What is your perfect Vegan Halloween Costume?”
QUIZ: What kind of vegetable are you?
- Marlon Farrugia
- 26th September 2019
“If you were a vegetable, what kind would you be?” A question that has tormented humanity throughout the ages – until now. Read: QUIZ: If you score 19/20 on THIS quiz, you’re a Vegan God Marlon Farrugia Marlon Farrugia is a freelance writer from Brighton. He has been a dedicated vegan for many years, and …