When it comes to Type 2 diabetes, there’s no shortage of evidence that a healthy plant-based diet is an effective tool for prevention and treatment. Now, a first-of-its-kind study finds that such diets may help manage Type 1 diabetes, as well, reducing insulin needs, improving insulin sensitivity, and promoting heart health in people living with the chronic disease.
The study, led by researchers at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and published in Clinical Diabetes in March 2024, is the first randomized clinical trial to look at the impact of a vegan diet on T1 diabetes. Researchers split 58 participants into two groups: one group followed a low-fat vegan diet and ate as much as they liked; the other ate a non-vegan diet. The latter group followed individualized diet plans, with overweight participants reducing their calorie intake by 500 to 1,000 calories a day….