The cumulative health benefits of a vegan diet

When you follow a vegan diet properly, your health will improve markedly.

Vegan Diets Can Help You Lose Weight
Vegans tend to be thinner and have a lower body mass index (BMI) than non-vegans. This might explain why an increasing number of people turn to vegan diets as a way to lose excess weight.

Part of the weight-related benefits vegans experience may be explained by factors other than diet. These may include healthier lifestyle choices, such as physical activity, and other health-related behaviors.

Interestingly, the weight loss advantage persists even when whole-food-based diets are used as control diets. These include diets recommended by the American Dietetics Association (ADA), the American Heart Association (AHA) and the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP).

What’s more, researchers generally report that participants on vegan diets lose more weight than those following calorie-restricted diets, even when they’re allowed to eat until they feel full.

The natural tendency to eat fewer calories on a vegan diet may be caused by a higher dietary fiber intake, which can make you feel fuller.

Vegan Diets can help to control Blood Sugar and Type 2 Diabetes
Adopting a vegan diet may help keep your blood sugar in check and type 2 diabetes at bay. Several studies show that vegans benefit from lower blood sugar levels, higher insulin sensitivity and up to a 78% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes than non-vegans.

In addition, vegan diets reportedly lower blood sugar levels in diabetics up to 2.4 times more than diets recommended by the ADA, AHA and NCEP..

Part of the advantage could be explained by the higher fiber intake, which may blunt the blood sugar response. A vegan diet’s weight loss effects may further contribute to its ability to lower blood sugar levels.

Vegan Diets and Heart Health
A vegan diet may help keep your heart healthy. Observational studies report vegans may have up to a 75% lower risk of developing high blood pressure and 42% lower risk of dying from heart disease.

Several report that vegan diets are much more effective at reducing blood sugar, LDL and total cholesterol than diets they are compared to. These effects could be especially beneficial since reducing blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar may reduce heart disease risk by up to 46%.

Other Health Benefits of Vegan Diets
Vegan diets are linked to an array of other health benefits, including benefits for:

Cancer risk: Vegans may benefit from a 15% lower risk of developing or dying from cancer.

Arthritis: Vegan diets seem particularly effective at reducing symptoms of arthritis such as pain, joint swelling and morning stiffness.

Kidney function: Diabetics who substitute meat for plant protein may reduce their risk of poor kidney function.

Alzheimer’s disease: Observational studies show that aspects of the vegan diet may help reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

That said, keep in mind that most of the studies supporting these benefits are observational. This makes it difficult to determine whether the vegan diet directly caused the benefits.

Compiled and penned by Crocus Media