Can a Plant-Based Diet Lead to Weight Loss?
Replacing animal products with plant-based foods—even those defined as “unhealthy” by the plant-based diet index—is an effective strategy for weight loss in adults with type 1 diabetes, finds a new study by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine published in Frontiers in Nutrition. Participants following a vegan diet lost 11 pounds on average, compared to no significant weight loss for participants following a portion-controlled diet.
“Our research shows that replacing animal products with plant-based foods—even so-called ‘unhealthy’ ones, as defined by the plant-based diet index—benefits people with type 1 diabetes who are looking to lose weight,” says Hana Kahleova, MD, PhD, director of clinical research at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and lead author of the study. “Whether you have an orange and oatmeal for breakfast or orange juice and toasted white bread, either option is a better choice for weight loss than eggs and cottage cheese.”
The new research is a secondary analysis of a Physicians Committee study, which was the first randomized clinical trial to look at a vegan diet in people with type 1 diabetes. In the 12-week study, 58 adults with type 1 diabetes were randomly assigned to either a low-fat vegan group with no limits on calories or carbohydrates, or a portion-controlled group that reduced daily calorie intake for overweight participants and kept carbohydrate intake stable over time.
Excerpted from Physicians Committee
