JAMA inter Med: more than 300000 people's data show that following a healthy plant-based diet can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes

July 26, 2019 / BIOON / - a new meta-analysis by Harvard T.H Chan School of public health shows that people who adhere to a plant-based diet are less likely to have type 2 diabetes than those who do not adhere to a plant-based diet The researchers also found that the link was stronger for those who ate a diet that emphasized healthy plant-based foods The study will be published in the journal JAMA internal medicine on July 22, 2019 "Plant based diets have become more and more popular in recent years, so we think it's important to quantify their overall association with diabetes risk, especially the food ingredients that are significantly different in diet," said first author Frank Qian Photo source: JAMA internal medicine although previous studies have shown that plant-based diet may help reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, there is a lack of overall analysis of epidemiological evidence According to the researchers, the current study provides the most comprehensive evidence to date of the relationship between maintaining a healthy plant-based diet and reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes The researchers identified nine studies for this association Their meta-analysis included health data from 307099 patients with type 2 diabetes They analyzed adherence to a plant-based "holistic" diet, including the mixing of healthy plant-based foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and beans, but also less healthy plant-based foods such as potatoes, white flour and sugar, and appropriate animal products The researchers also looked at "healthy" plant-based diets, which emphasize healthy plant-based foods, and reduce the intake of unhealthy plant-based foods The researchers found that the overall risk of type 2 diabetes was 23% lower in those with the highest adherence to a plant-based diet than in those with the lowest adherence They also found that the link was strengthened for those who ate a healthy plant-based diet One mechanism that can explain the relationship between adherence to a plant-based diet and the reduction of type 2 diabetes risk is that healthy plant-based foods alone or together can improve insulin sensitivity and blood pressure, reduce weight and reduce systemic inflammation, leading to a reduction in diabetes risk "In general, these data emphasize the importance of adhering to a plant-based diet to achieve or maintain good health, and people should choose fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, tofu and other healthy plant-based food diets "Said Qi sun, senior author of the study and associate professor of nutrition Reference: Frank Qian et al Association between plant based dietary patterns and risk of type 2 Dialogues: a systematic review and meta analysis JAMA internal medicine (2019) Doi: 10.1001/jamananternmed.2019.2195