Have you ever heard of a vegan diet? This diet involves eating only plant-based foods, such as fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes, and avoiding any animal products.
Some scientists from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine decided to study this diet to see if it has any health benefits. They found some pretty interesting results!
The Study: Comparing Vegan Diet to No Diet Changes
The scientists gathered a group of 219 overweight adults. They asked half of the people in the group to eat a low-fat vegan diet for 16 weeks, and they didn’t put any limits on how much these people could eat.
This diet included lots of fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes. The other half of the people didn’t make any changes to their diet.
The scientists then kept an eye on everyone’s diet quality, weight, body fat, and how their body used insulin, which is a hormone that helps control blood sugar.
The Results: Losing Weight and Getting Healthier
After 16 weeks, the people who ate the vegan diet had lost an average of 13 pounds, and 9.1 pounds of that was body fat. The people who didn’t change their diet didn’t lose any weight or body fat.
The scientists also noticed that the vegan group ate more fruits, legumes, meat alternatives (like tofu, tempeh, and veggie burgers), and whole grains and less animal products, added oils, and animal fats.
They found that these changes were linked to the weight loss:
- Fruits: Eating more whole fruits led to weight loss.
- Legumes and Meat Alternatives: Eating more legumes led to weight loss, less body fat, and less belly fat. Eating more meat alternatives also led to weight loss.
- Grains: Eating more whole grains led to weight loss and less body fat.
- Eggs and Dairy Products: Eating fewer eggs and less high-fat dairy products led to weight loss and less body fat.
- Meat, Fish, and Poultry: Eating less meat, fish, and poultry led to weight loss and less body fat.
- Added Fats: Eating less added animal fats and oils led to weight loss and less body fat.
The vegan group also got better at using insulin, which can help control blood sugar and prevent diabetes.
And the quality of their diet improved, while the group that didn’t change their diet didn’t see any change in diet quality.
The Takeaway: Eating Better to Live Better
This study shows that eating better quality foods, like those in a vegan diet, can lead to better health.
People who switched to a vegan diet lost weight and body fat, got better at using insulin, and improved the quality of their diet.
So, if you’re thinking about making a change to your diet, this study suggests that going vegan might be a good way to go!
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