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BlogHealthVegan Diet and Diabetes Mellitus Type 2

Vegan Diet and Diabetes Mellitus Type 2

Written by: Barbara Beil
Scientifically reviewed by: Susan Kerwien
3 min 11th May 2023 20th Apr 2025

diabetes

Table of Contents

  • Did You Know…
  • Diabetes Mellitus Type 2: More and More People are Affected
  • What Role Does Diet Play?
  • Can a Vegan Diet Reverse Type 2 Diabetes?
  • What Does the Study Tell Us?
  • Our Conclusion
  • Our Vegan Nutritionist Course

The diagnosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus comes as a shock to many people. When someone close to you develops this disease, you start wondering what you can do to protect yourself.

A recent study investigated whether a plant-based diet can reduce the risk of developing the disease. We have summarized the key findings for you.

Did You Know…

that about 16 % of all deaths in Germany are associated with type 2 diabetes (DDG, 2019)?

Diabetes Mellitus Type 2: More and More People are Affected

In recent years, the number of people diagnosed with the chronic disease diabetes mellitus type 2 has increased. But the disease can be prevented (to some extent).

What Role Does Diet Play?

A recent meta-analysis summarizing all available relevant observational studies concluded that a plant-based diet may have a preventive effect on the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (Qian et al., 2019).

The authors reviewed nine studies with a total of 307,099 participants, of whom 23,544 developed type 2 diabetes mellitus over the next 2 to 28 years. From the data, they calculated that those who ate more plant-based foods were less likely to develop the disease: On average, they had a 23 % lower risk.

The researchers also took a closer look at five studies that included the amount of plant foods in the diet. They found that the risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus decreased linearly as the amount of plant foods increased. However, the groups with the highest proportions of plant foods in the studies in this review had low proportions of foods of animal origin. It is unclear how the ratio would change if the diet was completely vegan. However, in the four trials that compared a purely vegan or vegetarian diet with an omnivorous diet, the overall risk was actually reduced by 30 % in the vegan/vegetarian groups. Interestingly, the association was particularly strong when the diet was based on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and nuts. In other words, the groups that make up our Vegan Food Pyramid.

Can a Vegan Diet Reverse Type 2 Diabetes?

Possible reasons for the protective effect of a vegan diet include increased intake of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phenolic compounds, and unsaturated fatty acids, as well as the avoidance of red and processed meats. In addition, a vegan diet may reduce the risk of obesity – a major cause of type 2 diabetes mellitus. However, even when BMI was excluded as a factor in this study, the association remained.

What Does the Study Tell Us?

Although the studies reviewed have individual limitations, the authors rate the overall quality as good and the results as strong. In addition, they emphasize that with a balanced vegan diet, including fortified foods and supplements, it is possible to meet nutritional needs – nothing new for us.

They conclude that a vegan diet could help prevent type 2 diabetes mellitus, especially if it is rich in whole foods.

Our Conclusion

There are many benefits to a vegan diet. While such studies cannot prove causality or provide definitive answers, they suggest that there are not only ethical reasons for a vegan diet, but that it may also prevent diabetes.

Our Vegan Nutritionist Course

Did you find this article interesting? Do you feel like you know more now? That’s great, because providing science-based information about the vegan diet is our mission!

Have you ever thought about becoming an expert in the field? Vegan expertise pays off when it comes to your own diet and opens up new career opportunities at the same time.

As Germany’s first distance learning school for vegan nutrition, we provide you with knowledge and skills in lots of areas with our “Certified Vegan Nutritionist” course: From nutrients and food to anatomy and biology to psychology and communication skills, we teach you everything you need to know. You can study conveniently from home, with up-to-date study materials, taught by our team of vegan lecturers with a scientific background.

Find out more about certification, the tuition fees, and everything else you need to know in the information brochure, which you can request here for free by email.

If you want to get a deep understanding of vegan nutrition, this is the place to be. High quality materials, well-structured, nicely presented, all at a good price and with maximum flexibility. What more could you ask for? I would study with ecodemy again anytime, I think about doing one of the additional trainings.
– Pia – rating at FernstudiumCheck.de

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Literature

Association Between Plant-Based Dietary Patterns and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA Intern Med. Qian, F., Liu, G., Hu, F.B., Bhupathiraju, S.N., and Sun, Q. (2019).

Deutscher Gesundheitsbericht Diabetes 2019 Die Bestandsaufnahme. DDG (2019).

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Image Sources

Image Sources

  • coverimage – diabetes and vegetables: © Africa Studio - stock.adobe.com
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Medical Disclaimer and Other Notes
Medical Disclaimer

Like any science, medicine and related disciplines are subject to constant development. Research and clinical experience expand our knowledge, especially with regard to treatment and therapy. Insofar as a recommendation, dosage, application, etc. is mentioned in the information provided, you may trust that we have taken great care to ensure that this information corresponds to the state of knowledge at the time of completion of the work. However, no guarantee or liability can be assumed for such information. You are required to check them carefully yourself and act on your own responsibility. Furthermore, our recommendations and advice are in no way intended to replace medical advice, diagnosis or treatment in the case of an existing illness - it is not a therapy. You should therefore never use the information we provide as your sole source for making health-related decisions. In case of complaints, medical advice should be sought in any case.

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About Barbara Beil

After earning her Bachelor's degree in Ecotrophology, Barbara went on to earn her Master's degree in Nutritional Sciences. She is fascinated by the complexity of nutrition and her favorite subject is sports nutrition. As a lecturer at ecodemy, she provides students with sound information and support on all aspects of a healthy, plant-based diet and also writes a large part of our articles.

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Medical Disclaimer

Like any science, medicine and related disciplines are subject to constant development. Research and clinical experience expand our knowledge, especially with regard to treatment and therapy. Insofar as a recommendation, dosage, application, etc. is mentioned in the information provided, you may trust that we have taken great care to ensure that this information corresponds to the state of knowledge at the time of completion of the work. However, no guarantee or liability can be assumed for such information. You are required to check them carefully yourself and act on your own responsibility. Furthermore, our recommendations and advice are in no way intended to replace medical advice, diagnosis or treatment in the case of an existing illness - it is not a therapy. You should therefore never use the information we provide as your sole source for making health-related decisions. In case of complaints, medical advice should be sought in any case.