Veganism – An Effective Weapon Against Diabetes

By Jennifer Clary 

Approximately 22 million Americans are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes each year. Characterized by severe insulin deficiency, a type 2 diabetes diagnoses frequently precipitates the onset of potentially fatal ailments like coronary artery disease and renal failure. While you can decrease your likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes by being physically active and maintaining a healthy body weight, this is a disease that is not always preventable; a genetic component is oftentimes responsible. If you have relatives with type 2 diabetes, you should be aware that you have a higher risk of developing this serious health problem.

So what does a vegan diet have to do with the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes? According to observational studies conducted by the Washington Center for Clinical Research, the George Washington University School of Medicine, the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto, and the School of Public Health at the University of North Carolina, people who have type 2 diabetes or who are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes benefit significantly from a vegan diet. Veganism substantially improves glycemic control and, therefore, is one of the most effective weapons against the development and progression of type 2 diabetes.In fact, a vegan diet proved to be more successful in the fight against type 2 diabetes than the diet plans originally recommended by the American Diabetes Association (ADA)! WebMD first reported this astounding finding with gusto in 2006, stating that “Researchers found 43 percent of people with type 2 diabetes who followed a vegan diet for 22 weeks reduced their need to take medications to manage their disease compared with 26 percent of those who followed the diet recommended by the ADA.” The ADA now hails veganism as one of the most effective weapons against type 2 diabetes.