Low-carbohydrate vegan diets in diabetes for weight loss and sustainability: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Low-carbohydrate, high animal fat and protein diets have been promoted for weight loss and diabetes treatment. We therefore tested the effect of a low-carbohydrate vegan diet in diabetes as a potentially healthier and more ecologically sustainable low-carbohydrate option. OBJECTIVES: We sought to compare the effectiveness of a low-carbohydrate vegan diet with a moderate-carbohydrate vegetarian diet on weight loss and metabolic measures in diabetes. METHODS: One hundred and sixty-four male and female participants with type 2 diabetes were randomly assigned to advice on either a low-carbohydrate vegan diet, high in canola oil and plant proteins, or a vegetarian therapeutic diet, for 3 mo, with both diets recommended at 60% of calorie requirements. Body weight, fasting blood, blood pressure, and 7-d food records, to estimate potential greenhouse gas emissions, were obtained throughout the study with tests of cholesterol absorption undertaken at baseline and end of study on 50 participants. RESULTS: Both low-carbohydrate vegan and vegetarian diets similarly but markedly reduced body weight (-5.9 kg; 95% CI: -6.5, -5.28 kg; and -5.23 kg; 95% CI: -5.84, -4.62 kg), glycated hemoglobin (-0.99%; 95% CI: -1.07, -0.9%; and -0.88%; 95% CI: -0.97, -0.8%), systolic blood pressure (-4 mmHg; 95% CI: -7, -2 mmHg; and -6 mmHg; 95% CI: -8, -3 mmHg), and potential greenhouse gas emissions, but only for potential greenhouse gas emissions was there a significant treatment difference of -0.63 kgCO2/d (95% CI: -0.99, -0.27 kgCO2/d) favoring the low-carbohydrate vegan diet. CONCLUSIONS: Low-carbohydrate vegan and vegetarian diets reduced body weight, improved glycemic control and blood pressure, but the more plant-based diet had greater potential reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: clinicaltrials.gov identifier NCT02245399.

Cumulative Meta-Analysis of the Soy Effect Over Time.

Background Soy protein foods have attracted attention as useful plant protein foods with mild cholesterol-lowering effects that are suitable for inclusion in therapeutic diets. But on the basis of the lack of consistency in significant cholesterol reduction by soy in 46 randomized controlled trials, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is reassessing whether the 1999 heart health claim for soy protein should be revoked. Methods and Results We have, therefore, performed a cumulative meta-analysis on the 46 soy trials identified by the FDA to determine if at any time, since the 1999 FDA final rule that established the soy heart health claim, the soy effect on serum cholesterol lost significance. The cumulative meta-analysis for both total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol demonstrated preservation of the small, but significant, reductions seen both before and during the subsequent 14 years since the health claim was originally approved. For low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, the mean reduction in 1999 was -6.3 mg/dL (95% CI, -8.7 to -3.9 mg/dL; P=0.00001) and remained in the range of -4.2 to -6.7 mg/dL ( P=0.0006 to P=0.0002, respectively) in the years after 1999. At no time point did the total cholesterol or low-density lipoprotein cholesterol reductions lose significance or were the differences at individual time points in the cumulative meta-analysis significantly different from those seen in 1999 when the health claim was approved. Conclusions A cumulative meta-analysis of the data selected by the FDA indicates continued significance of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol reduction after soy consumption and supports the rationale behind the original soy FDA heart health claim.