Helping clients eat more fruits, vegetables and plant-based foods has long been a core principle for good nutrition advice. In fact, plant-based dietary patterns, including vegetarian and vegan diets, have been shown to be beneficial to human health for a variety of reasons. In a new systematic review, researchers found that vegetarian eating may help manage Type 2 diabetes (T2DM). This systematic review analyzed seven randomized controlled trials (RCTs) — the strongest type of evidence — with 770 participants to compare the effects of vegetarian versus non-vegetarian dietary patterns on T2DM.
Researchers found with moderate certainty that adults who ate vegetarian dietary patterns had lower HbA1c levels (a measure of blood sugar control) and body mass index. Vegetarian and vegan eaters also may have reduced need for diabetes medications and may experience improved insulin sensitivity, although evidence for these effects is weaker. However, vegetarian dietary patterns did not significantly affect fasting blood glucose, insulin or LDL cholesterol.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that about 1 in 10 Americans has diabetes with 90% to 95% of those being T2DM — and 2.5 times that many people are thought to have prediabetes. According to the International Food Information Council 2024 annual health survey, 8% of Americans report specifically eating a vegetarian, plant-based or vegan diet, with many more following eating patterns that are typically higher in plant-based foods (ex. Mediterranean, flexitarian and DASH diets).
The results of this systematic review suggest that vegetarian or vegan dietary patterns could be useful in managing T2DM, but more research is needed. Meanwhile, practitioners can use this research to confidently support clients with T2DM who want to pursue a vegetarian diet to manage their condition. This research was funded by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation with support from the Vegetarian Nutrition Dietetics Practice Group.
Read the full study, published in Advances in Nutrition: An International Review Journal.
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