For several decades, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes has steadily increased in America. In adult Americans, there are now more than 11 million cases of type 2 diabetes and close to 40 million people with prediabetes. This condition is characterized by blood sugar levels above average but not high enough to diagnose full-blown diabetes.
Diabetes is a chronic, progressive disease that affects the body’s ability to process sugar and causes blood glucose levels to become too high. A person with diabetes has elevated blood sugar levels because the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or cells do not respond appropriately.
The study, published in Diabetes Care, found that vegetarians and vegans were less likely than meat-eaters to develop diabetes. Even after researchers adjusted for factors such as age, body mass index (BMI), smoking status, and physical activity levels, those who ate a vegetarian diet still had a 22 percent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes than non-vegetarians.
Eating a diet rich in plant foods, such as vegetables and whole grains—and lower in red meat—can help reduce your risk for diabetes. However, the researchers said the reasons why vegetarians were less likely than meat-eaters to develop type 2 diabetes are unclear. One possibility is that eating a vegetarian diet may lower insulin resistance levels, a significant risk factor for developing diabetes. Another option is that vegetarians may have a lower risk of diabetes because they tend to be leaner than non-vegetarians. However, vegetarians also generally have lower rates of obesity and high blood pressure, which can increase your risk for type 2 diabetes.
If you know someone who is diabetic, let them know about how a vegan or vegetarian diet might help their condition.