Vegan diet reduces blood sugar by improving insulin secretion in diabetes, finds study

WASHINGTON - A Vegan diet reduce blood sugar by improving beta cell function due to increased secretion of insulin and incretin hormones in those with type 2 diabetes.The findings of new study have appeared in the Journal Nutrients.

In the United States today, more than 114 million adults have either diabetes or prediabetes.Globally also the cases of Diabetes are increasing and in all such cases for control and treatment of Diabetes role of diet can not be ignored.

Hana Kahleova at Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine, 14021 Prague, Czech Republic and associates conducted a randomised study to test the effects of two energy- and macronutrient-matched meals: A standard meat (M-meal) and a vegan (V-meal) on postprandial incretin and insulin secretion in participants with T2Diabetes.

The researchers compared the effects of a plant-based meal to a meal containing meat on the hormone levels of a group of 20 men who have type 2 diabetes in a randomized crossover trial. The meals consisted of either a tofu-based veggie burger or a meat-based burger and contained the same amount of calories and ratio of macronutrients.

The results show that there was an increase in stimulated secretion of GLP-1 (by 19.2%; 95% CI 12.4 to 26.7%; p< 0.001) and a decrease in GIP (by −9.4%; 95% CI −17.3 to −0.7%; p = 0.02) after the V-meal. Several parameters of beta-cell function increased after the V-meal, particularly insulin secretion at a fixed glucose value 5 mmol/L, rate sensitivity, and the potentiation factor. The participants' postprandial secretion of insulin increased more after the plant-based meal than the meat-based meal. Secretion of incretin hormones, particularly glucagon-like-peptide 1 (GLP-1), also increased more after the vegan meal. Incretin hormones amplify the release of insulin after a meal and also help decrease blood glucose levels.

it was also found that Beta-cell function parameters improved after the vegan meal. Beta cells synthesize, store, and release insulin. Beta-cell function is typically diminished in those who have diabetes, and preserving beta cells' capacity to produce insulin is a cornerstone in the treatment of diabetes.

"With diabetes rates rising and insulin costs soaring, this study offers hope that a solution could be close at hand: the food on our plates," says study author Hana Kahleova, M.D., Ph.D., director of clinical research at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. "The results add to the evidence that a plant-based diet should be considered a front line treatment for type 2 diabetes."

The researchers concluded that an increase in postprandial incretin and insulin secretion, after consumption of a Vegan-meal, suggesting a therapeutic potential of plant-based meals for improving beta-cell function in T2D. An earlier study has also found that a 16-week plant-based dietary intervention improves insulin resistance and beta-cell function in overweight adults. Other studies have shown that plant-based diets are effective in managing and even reversing type 2 diabetes and that those following a plant-based diet have approximately half the risk of developing diabetes, compared with non-vegetarians.