Plant-Based Diet Outperforms Mediterranean in Diabetes Risk Reduction, Weight Loss: Study

A recent study has revealed that a low-fat vegan diet may offer even greater health benefits than the widely acclaimed Mediterranean diet, particularly in reducing the risk of diabetes and promoting weight loss.

The research, conducted by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and published in Frontiers in Nutrition, found that a vegan diet significantly reduces dietary acid load, a key factor linked to weight gain and diabetes.

Diet and Diabetes Risk

The study compared the effects of a low-fat vegan diet and a Mediterranean diet on dietary acid load in overweight adults. The results indicated that the vegan diet led to a significant decrease in dietary acid load, which was directly associated with weight loss.

Dr. Hana Kahleova, lead author of the study, explained, "Eating acid-producing foods like meat, eggs, and dairy can increase the dietary acid load, or the amount of acids consumed, causing inflammation linked to weight gain. But replacing animal products with plant-based foods like leafy greens, berries, and legumes can help promote weight loss and create a healthy gut microbiome."

The Study

Researchers conducted a randomized crossover trial involving 62 overweight adults. Participants followed both a low-fat vegan diet and a Mediterranean diet, each for 16 weeks, separated by a four-week washout period. The researchers then analyzed the dietary records to calculate dietary acid load using two scores: Potential Renal Acid Load (PRAL) and Net Endogenous Acid Production (NEAP), where higher scores indicate a higher dietary acid load.

The Findings

The study revealed that consuming animal products like meat, fish, eggs, and cheese increased the body's acid production, leading to a higher dietary acid load. This, in turn, is associated with chronic inflammation, which can disrupt metabolism and contribute to weight gain.

In contrast, plant-based diets, being more alkaline, were linked to weight loss, improved insulin sensitivity, and lower blood pressure. Participants on the vegan diet experienced a significant decrease in both PRAL and NEAP scores, while no significant change was observed on the Mediterranean diet. Furthermore, the reduction in dietary acid load was significantly correlated with weight loss. The vegan diet group also saw an average weight loss of 13.2 pounds, compared to no change in the Mediterranean diet group.

The researchers suggest that the alkalizing effect of the vegan diet increases the body's pH level, making it less acidic, which may facilitate weight loss. Alkaline foods include:

• Vegetables (leafy greens, broccoli, beets, asparagus, garlic, carrots, cabbage)
• Fruits (berries, apples, cherries, apricots, cantaloupe)
• Legumes (lentils, chickpeas, peas, beans, soy)
• Grains (quinoa, millet)