A new study reveals that a low-fat vegan diet, even without restricting calories or carbohydrates, may help people with type 1 diabetes significantly reduce both their insulin needs and insulin costs.
Following a low-fat vegan diet without restricting calories or carbohydrates may help people with type 1 diabetes lower both their insulin use and related costs.
Insulin is a hormone that moves glucose (sugar) from the bloodstream into the muscles and liver, where it can be used for energy. Because people with type 1 diabetes do not produce enough insulin, they must take it regularly.
Some individuals need even more insulin if they experience insulin resistance, a condition in which the body’s cells respond poorly to the hormone, leaving excess glucose in the blood. Research shows that dietary fat plays a major role in insulin resistance, as high levels of fat can make it harder for glucose to enter cells effectively.
The research, which is a secondary analysis of a 2024 Physicians Committee study, compared the effect of a low-fat vegan diet to a portion-controlled diet on insulin use and insulin costs in people with type 1 diabetes. The analysis found that the total dose of insulin decreased by 28%, or 12.1 units, per day in the vegan group, compared to no significant change in the portion-controlled group.
The reductions in insulin use in the vegan group likely reflect improved insulin sensitivity, or how well the body responds to insulin. Total insulin costs decreased by 27%, or $1.08 per day, in the vegan group, compared to no significant change in the portion-controlled group.
