Dietary interventions are a cost-effective way to manage type 1 diabetes (T1D). A 12-week randomized clinical trial has investigated the effect of low-fat vegan and portion-controlled diets in 58 adult T1D patients. The low-fat vegan diet included vegetables, fruits, legumes, and grains with no limits on carbohydrates or calories.
The portion-controlled diet included individualized plans with reduced daily energy intake by 500 to 1,000 kcal/day and stable carbohydrate intake. Over 12 weeks, the vegan diet significantly reduced the total daily dose of insulin (by 12.1 units/day), total (by 32.3 mg/dL) and LDL (by 18.6 mg/dL) cholesterol, A1C levels (by 0.8%) and the ratio of blood urea nitrogen to creatinine (by 5.1 mg/dL) and increased insulin sensitivity (6.6 g of carbohydrate/unit of insulin) in patients. In contrast, the portion-controlled diet only reduced A1C levels (by 0.6%)…
