The effects of whole food plant-based enhanced vegan diet improved diet quality, leading improved weight levels and increases insulin sensitivity.
In a 16 week trial of 244 overweight adults, researchers from the Physican’s Committee for Responsible Medicine conducted a randomized, case-controlled study comparing the effects of a low-fat vegan whole food plant-based diet to no change. The participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups, the study diet or to make not modifications at all.
The whole-food plant based diet group were to increase intake vegetables, fruits, legumes and meat alternative and reduce intakes of added oils and all animal-based products including dairy, meat, and eggs. Using the Alternative Healthy Eating Index-2010 (AHEI-2010), an index measuring the quality of food based on nutrients where has been validated that the higher the score, the lower the risk for chronic disease; they found that on average, those on the study diet improved their score by 6 points compared to the no-change diet.
In their results, they found that those who reduced animal-based food intake and increased plant-based food index lost more total weight (average of 13 pounds) and fat weight (average of 9.1 pounds). The vegan study group also had improved insulin sensitivity, suggesting decreased risk of developing diabetes. The more plant-based food the participants ate and the less they ate animal-based food, the more benefits they experienced.
A whole food plant-based diet has many benefits including actually addressing the cause of type 2 diabetes rather than just throwing medications at it to make the blood sugar numbers look lower. Therefore, eat your vegetables and cut out animal-based food, try plant-based alternatives instead. For the study, participants ate tempeh, tofu, and veggie burgers instead of meat.
L Crosby et al. Changes in food and nutrient intake and diet quality on a low-fat vegan diet are associated with changes in body weight, body composition, and insulin sensitivity in overweight adults: a randomized clinical trial. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (2022). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2022.04.008
