A low-fat vegan diet has been shown to reduce heart disease risk and Type 1 diabetics’ demand for insulin

According to recent studies, people with Type 1 diabetes may need less insulin if they follow a low-fat vegan diet high in fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes.

Additionally, it was shown that the plant-based diet-induced changes in body weight improved insulin sensitivity in the subjects, reducing their resistance to the hormone. Improvements were also seen in glucose levels in the blood serum, or glucose management. It was then shown that these individuals’ reduced risk of heart disease correlated with their improvements.

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune illness in which the immune system of the body targets the healthy pancreas, impairing its capacity to make insulin and control blood sugar levels, despite Type 2 diabetes being more prevalent. As a result, the patients could need frequent insulin injections.

Hana Kahleova, the study’s lead author and director of clinical research at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, US, said, “With the cost of insulin remaining a concern for many, our groundbreaking research shows that a low-fat vegan diet that doesn’t restrict carbs may be the prescription for reducing insulin needs, managing blood sugar levels, and improving heart health in people with Type 1 diabetes.”

The Clinical Diabetes journal has published the study’s results.

In this study, 58 persons with Type 1 diabetes were randomized at random to be placed in one of two groups: either a portion-controlled group, which reduced daily calorie consumption for participants who were overweight while maintaining steady carbohydrate intake over time, or a low-fat vegan group, which had no restrictions on calories or carbs.

The low-fat vegan diet group’s members needed 28% less insulin across the course of the 12-week research, and their bodies’ sensitivity to the hormone improved by 127%.

The benefits that the researchers saw were linked to a decrease in body weight of almost five kg on average. Individuals in the portion-controlled group, however, did not see a substantial decrease in body weight.

They also linked higher intakes of carbohydrates and fiber to enhanced insulin sensitivity.

According to the researchers, the findings are consistent with other studies that found that persons with Type 1 diabetes who consume less fat and protein use less insulin and have better insulin sensitivity.

The researchers also connected these gains to a reduction in cardiovascular disease and mortality risks, which are known to be elevated in individuals with Type 1 diabetes.

They discovered that a 9% lower risk of cardiovascular disease correlated with the patients’ decreased need on outside insulin.

According to their findings, a 12 percent and around 9–12% decreased risk of heart attack and cardiovascular disease, respectively, was associated with lower blood serum glucose levels.

Additionally, the researchers discovered that the low-fat vegan group’s total cholesterol decreased by 32.3 mg/dL, while the portion-controlled group’s decreased by 10.9 mg/dL.

The researchers found that the vegan group had a decrease in LDL cholesterol, or “bad” cholesterol, of 18.6 mg/dL. This decrease is associated with a nearly 20% lower risk of a serious cardiac event, such as a heart attack or stroke.

They discovered that there was no discernible difference in the levels in the portion-controlled group.

However, the study’s authors recognized that further extensive studies are required to validate these results.