An investigation has demonstrated how a plant-based diet is associated with a lower risk of developing diabetes. Central to the finding is that the consumption of plant-based foods, including fruits, vegetables, nuts, coffee, and legumes, correlates with a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
The study finds that differences in the chemical makeup of foods means that an individual’s diet should be reflected in their metabolite profile. This can be seen with high-throughput metabolomics profiling to provide a comprehensive analysis and identification of all the different metabolites present within a biological sample.
This enabled the researchers to conduct an analysis of blood plasma samples and dietary intake of 10,684 participants. These participants were predominantly white, middle-aged people (mean age 54 years), and with a mean body mass index (BMI) of 25.6 kilos per square metre.
The diets of the participants were assessed against the follow food groups: healthy plant foods (whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, vegetable oils, and tea/coffee); unhealthy plant foods (refined grains, fruit juices, potatoes, sugar-sweetened beverages, and sweets/desserts); and animal foods (animal fats, dairy, eggs, fish/seafood, meat, and miscellaneous animal-based foods).
Those who went on to develop type II diabetes tended to be people who did not consume healthy, plant-based foods. The data took into account blood pressure and cholesterol levels, those who used blood pressure and cholesterol drugs, have a family history of diabetes, and were less physically active.
The data could aid those seeking diabetes prevention. One of the factors that prevents people from selecting healthier food is the relative cost of certain types of produce. It has been shown that high fixed costs for retailing fresh fruit and vegetables means that they cost 40 percent more than would be efficient.
This is unlike unhealthy alternatives, which trade close to marginal cost (see Science Advances “How distorted food prices discourage a healthy diet”).
The research appears in the journal Diabetologia, titled “Plasma metabolite profiles related to plant-based diets and the risk of type 2 diabetes.
In related news, a 30-year study of more than 110,000 health professionals has found that participants who ate at least two servings of avocado a week were found to have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. This was when the information was compared to those who rarely ate avocados.
In addition, the study found that replacing animal products like butter, cheese or bacon with avocado was also associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease events. These findings appear in the Journal of the American Heart Association (“Avocado Consumption and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease in US Adults”).
