Eating healthy plant-based foods reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to those who consumed a diet rich in unhealthy plant-based foods. And, those who ate a healthy plant-based diet also had a different metabolic profile, suggests a recent study published in the journal Diabetologia.¹

Researchers from the US evaluated the dietary patterns of 8827 participants from the Nurses’ Health Study, Nurses’ Health Study II and Health Professionals Follow-up Study using semiquantitative food frequency questionnaires. Three plant-based diets were examined and based on the answers, three indices were developed namely overall Plant-based Diet Index (PDI), a Healthy Plant-based Diet Index (hPDI) and an Unhealthy Plant-based Diet Index (uPDI), which were used to evaluate their adherence to plant-based diet. The mean age of the study subjects was 54 years and the mean body mass index (BMI) was 25.6kg/m².

The healthy plant-based diet included whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, vegetable oil, tea and coffee. The unhealthy plant-based diet included refined grains, fruit juices, potatoes, sugar-sweetened beverages, and sweets and desserts, while the animal-based diet included animal fats, dairy, eggs, fish, meat and other animal-based products.

The plant metabolites were measured to develop metabolite profile scores for the participants and their association with the risk of incident type 2 diabetes was examined. Fifty-five metabolites were found to correlate with an overall plant-based diet, 93 metabolites with a healthy plant-based diet and 75 metabolites with an unhealthy plant-based diet.

Analysis of different metabolites revealed a difference between the healthy and unhealthy plant-based diets and the risk of type 2 diabetes. Participants with high PDI and hPDI scores were at a lower risk of type 2 diabetes with an adjusted hazard ratio of 0.83 and 0.8, respectively.

Gamma-aminobutyric acid, C5-carnitine and three triacylglycerol metabolites were associated with lower plant-based diet index score and consequently a higher risk for type 2 diabetes.  On the other hand, an inverse association was noted between isoleucine, C22:0 ceramide and six triacylglycerol metabolites and a healthy plant-based diet index and therefore an increased risk of type 2 diabetes.

Metabolites such as trigonelline, betaine and glycine showed an association with higher plant-based diet index score and lower risk for type 2 diabetes. Likewise, trigonelline, hippurate and C22:6 ceramide were associated with a higher healthy plant-based diet index score and a lower risk for type 2 diabetes.

This study recapitulates the beneficial role of plant-based diets, especially a healthy plant-based diet on the risk of type 2 diabetes as well as in the management of type 2 diabetes in achieving glycemic control. A healthy plant-based diet is also heart-friendly. This study has also shown a correlation between the plant metabolites and risk of type 2 diabetes, which warrants further investigation to validate their role in the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. “The metabolite profiles we identified could be used to assess the adherence and metabolic response to plant-based diets during dietary interventions”, suggest the authors.²

References

1. Wang F, et al. Plasma metabolite profiles related to plant-based diets and the risk of type 2 diabetes. Diabetologia. 2022 Apr 8. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00125-022-05692-8.
2. https://www.healio.com/news/endocrinology/20220411/healthy-plantbased-diet-linked-to-lower-risk-for-type-2-diabetes.