Would low-fat, vegan diet aid diabetics?

WASHINGTON — People with type-2 diabetes might be able to lose more weight and deal better with the disease by following a low-fat, vegan diet — rather than commonly recommended low-carbohydrate diets — a study released Thursday found.

The study, conducted by the vegan organization Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and George Washington University, followed 99 people with type-2 diabetes for 22 weeks — half ate a vegan diet and half followed dietary guidelines from the American Diabetes Association.

Members of both groups lowered their weight, and improved blood glucose control and cholesterol levels.

But those who avoided meat and dairy had greater success, said Neal Barnard, president of PCRM, a nonprofit organization that focuses on preventive medicine and nutrition, and promotes vegetarian diets and alternatives to animal research.

Forty-three percent of those who followed the vegan diet — no animal products such as meat and cheese — reduced their need for diabetes medications compared with 26 percent who did the ADA diet, which reduces calorie and carb intake.

The vegan group lost an average of 14 pounds, compared with an average 7 pounds for the other group, the study found. Blood glucose control and measurements of LDL cholesterol — the "bad" kind — also were lower with the vegan group.

"People lost weight much more effectively on this diet than they did on a calorie-restricted diet, which is the opposite of what you would think," said Barnard, an adjunct associate professor at George Washington University.

The ADA food pyramid, Barnard said, is based on calorie consumption. It groups food based on their carbohydrate and protein content rather than the kind of food it is. Along with grains, beans, fruits and vegetables, the pyramid also recommends eating two to three servings of low- or nonfat milk, and 4 to 6 ounces of meat, cheese or meat substitutes.

Barnard said the vegan diet focuses on high-fiber foods, which are filling and low in fat. The diet is easy to follow, he said, because it is a qualitative, rather than quantitative, change.

The 49 participants in the vegan group had no restrictions on how much food they ate, but were asked to get 10 percent of daily calories from fats (oils, vegetable shortening), 15 percent from protein and 75 percent from carbohydrates like beans and whole grains.