Journal Club - Vegan diets effective in weight loss lower blood sugar in adults

according to a meta-analysis of 11 randomised trials, a 12-week vegan diet may result in clinically meaningful weight loss and improve blood sugar control in overweight adults and those with type 2 diabetes. The analysis involved almost 800 participants (aged 18 or older), being presented at the European Congress on Obesity (ECO).

However, vegan diets that are rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes and seeds, with no all animal derived foods, did not affect blood pressure or triglycerides compared to other diets.

The researchers compared the effect of vegan diets to other types of diets on cardiometabolic risk factors - body weight, body mass index [BMI], blood sugar levels, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (so-called 'bad cholesterol'), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides.

Analyses found that vegan diets significantly reduced body weight and BMI. But the effects on blood sugar levels. total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were rather small. Researchers concluded that vegan diets likely lead to weight loss because they are associated with a reduced calorie intake due to a lower content of fat and higher content of dietary fibre but more evidence is definitely needed regarding other cardiometabolic outcomes.