Neal Barnard, MD has published two studies comparing the effectiveness of a low fat vegan (10% Fat, 15% Protein and 75% Carbohydrates) to the recommended American Diabetes Association (ADA) Diet. His studies show a low fat vegan diet is more effective than the ADA diet in reducing blood glucose levels even without adding exercise to a lifestyle change.

In this web site, I’ve included a study by Dr. Olefsky who has reported that a lifestyle change including mild exercise and a low fat diet is more effective at preventing diabetes than drug therapy. He also pointed out the most important treatment for people with diabetes is to reduce the blood glucose level to as close to normal as possible to prevent the complications of diabetes.

Dr. Barnard’s studies confirm the works of other Nutrition and Medical Experts who also have reported a low fat vegan diet is very effective at preventing and reversing diabetes, and rapidly reducing blood glucose levels which is the most strongly recommended strategy to prevent complications from diabetes.

Dr. Barnard’s published studies, are here – Preventive Medicine 29, 87 – 91 (1999) and Diabetes Care, volume 29, number 8, August 2006.

Here is Dr. Barnard describing his study and results in lecture recorded in two videos.

• Part 1 – Quicktime or Real Player
• Part 2 – Quicktime or Real Player

I’ve listed the timelines for Dr. Barnard’s comments after the jump.

Part 1 video timelines —

3:30 – description of different types of diabetes

3:35 – type 2 diabetes mechanism

4:40 – explanation of insulin resistance

5:48 – A1C blood test explained

6:22 – current approach to treating diabetes

7:05 – adding medication

7:30 – diet can do better

7:42 – diabetes is rare in most of the world, eating diets low in fat and animal protein

8:24 – diabetes occurs when populations become westernized

8:42 – carbohydrates are not the enemy

9:10 – vegetarians have a low rate of diabetes

10:20 – Dr. Dean Ornish’s study has positive results

11:50 – artery blockage was opening

12:19 – Dr. Ornish’s program looked like a good weight loss program – so they tried it for diabetes

13:31 – why does this cause people to loose weight

17:00 – focus on a low fat, low glycemic index diet

17:45 – stop counting calories. Eat as much food as you want.

18:30 – most powerful diet known for weight and cholesterol control

19:30 – animal protein affects kidney function

20:30 – 40% of people with diabetes have impaired kidney function

20:46 – summary of recommended diet – vegan, low fat, low glycemic index

21:54 – reduce oils in diet

24:17 – compare the vegan diet to the current American Diabetes Association (ADA) Guideline

24:58 – study findings

25:45 – A1C comparison between vegan diet and ADA diet

27:08 – Cholesterol results

Part 2 video timelines —

1:00 – results found for Dean Ornish, MD study

1:45 – impotence

2:32 – bad cholesterol drops

2:49 – take a multi-vitamin to supplement vitamin B12

3:15 – need a doctors supervision – the diet change is like a new drug

4:20 – review of diet basics

5:10 – sautee without oil

6:40 – aim for maximum of 20 – 30 grams of fat per day

6:59 – high fiber

8:22 – aim for 40 grams of fiber per day

8:38 – do a 3 week test

10:07 – do it 100%

10:41 – tastes will change

11:30 – desire for fat will diminish

12:00 – transition foods