A new study reveals that a low-fat vegan diet rich in fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes can help reduce insulin requirements in people with type 1 diabetes.

According to this study, the weight changes brought about by a plant-based diet helped participants reduce insulin resistance by improving sensitivity.

An improvement in glycemic control, or serum glucose levels, was also observed. The study found that the improvement equated to a lower risk of heart disease in these patients, as cited by news agency PTI.

Although type 2 diabetes is more common, type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the body’s immune system attacks the healthy pancreas, affecting its ability to produce insulin and regulate blood sugar. Therefore, patients may require regular insulin injections.

“While the cost of insulin remains a concern for many people, our groundbreaking research shows that a low-fat vegan diet that does not restrict carbohydrates can reduce the need for insulin, manage blood sugar levels, and improve heart health. “This suggests that this may be a prescription for improving the health of people with type 1 diabetes,” said Hana Kaleova, lead author of the study and director of clinical research at the American Committee of Responsible Physicians. said as quoted by PTI. The study results were published in the journal Clinical Diabetes.

In this study, researchers placed 58 adults with type 1 diabetes into either a low-fat vegan group with no restrictions on calories or carbohydrates, or reduced daily calorie intake for overweight participants, and reduced carbohydrate intake. randomly assigned to one of the long-term stable portion control groups.

The researchers observed that these effects were associated with body weight, which decreased by about 5 kilograms on average. On the other hand, there was no significant change in body weight in the group that controlled the amount of food they ate. They also associated improved insulin sensitivity with increased carbohydrate and fiber intake.

As cited by PTI, the researchers said the results support previous studies linking reduced fat and protein intake to lower insulin requirements and improved sensitivity in people with type 1 diabetes. said.

The researchers also associated these improvements with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and death, which are known to be higher in people with type 1 diabetes. The researchers found that participants’ reduced dependence on external insulin equated to a 9 percent reduction in cardiovascular risk.

Lowering glucose levels in the serum corresponded to a 12 percent and about 9-12 percent reduction in the risk of heart attack and cardiovascular disease, respectively.

The researchers also found that total cholesterol in the low-fat vegan group decreased by 32.3 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) compared to 10.9 mg/dL in the restricted intake group.

The researchers found that the vegan group had an 18.6 mg/dL reduction in LDL cholesterol, or “bad” cholesterol, which equates to an almost 20 percent reduction in the risk of major cardiac events, including heart attack and stroke. . The researchers also found that levels did not differ significantly in the portion-controlled group.

However, the study authors acknowledged that larger trials are needed to confirm these findings.