Vegan diets may improve glycemic control and reduce glycated hemoglobin levels in type 2 diabetes patients.
This study assessed how a conventional diabetic diet and vegan diets rich in brown rice affect glycemic control in type 2 diabetes patients. Researchers placed 93 Korean subjects on either a vegan diet devoid of animal products or a conventional diabetic diet recommended by the Korean Diabetes Association for 12 weeks. At the end of the dietary intervention, the plasma levels of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) of all the participants in this study were measured.
Researchers observed that both vegan diet and conventional diabetic diet decreased serum concentrations of HbA1c in all the subjects. The decline in HbA1c levels was found to be larger in participants in the vegan group than in subjects in the conventional group in this study. The results of this study support recommendations that promote the use of vegan diets in the management of type 2 diabetes.