By Dr Rebecca E Jones
When I first started writing as The Vegan Doctor, my motivation was to bring useful advice from a doctor’s point of view to other ethical vegans. As time went on and I studied more, I began to realize the enormous health benefits of a plant-based diet. I learned more about the beneficial effects of a vegan diet on many chronic diseases, so much so that I always recommend a plant-based diet (along with other NHS suggested options, of course) to my patients who are looking to change their lifestyles and take control of their health.
There are many, many diets that experts claim can prevent and manage chronic disease, but much of the evidence backing them is conflicting. Unfortunately, this is the nature of scientific evidence, and in particular, nutrition science. However, I must admit that much of the research done on vegan and plant-based diets and their role in good health is rather compelling.
There are many brilliant books that go into a lot of detail about health and plant-based diets, but what I want to do with this article is to give you a brief overview of what we know about the role of plant-based eating in preventing and managing some of the diseases affected by lifestyle.
Type 2 Diabetes (T2DM)
T2DM is a chronic disease in which our tissues become resistant to the effects of insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is released after eating. It is responsible for moving the carbohydrates we have consumed into our cells to be used as energy for normal cellular processes. If the carbs can’t be moved into the cells, they stay in the bloodstream, causing a rise in blood sugar levels. Persistently high blood sugar levels are harmful to our bodies and, in the long-term, can cause cause damage to our kidneys, nerves, eyes, and cardiovascular system. (Type 1 Diabetes is different, in that people with this are usually born with less insulin than they need, and so have to take insulin injections for life.)
Insulin resistance is a consequence of storing too much fat in the liver and muscles, which means that it could be prevented if this is avoided in the first place. It can even be reversed after the process has already begun. Associations have been made between T2DM and diets high in animal proteins and processed foods, and vegans and vegetarians have been shown to have a lower risk of T2DM. This suggests that T2DM can be prevented and potentially reversed with a plant-based diet. A whole-food plant-based (WFPB) diet is optimal and preferable, however, as it is rich in fruits, vegetables, seeds, and nuts while avoiding processed foods and animal products.
Heart Disease
Heart disease is caused by a build-up of cholesterol in the small blood vessels that supply the muscle walls of the heart. These vessels then either become blocked by this build-up or the plaque formed by the cholesterol ruptures, causing a blood clot to form. The blood clot can then block the vessel, causing a heart attack. When these vessels become blocked, the area of heart muscle supplied by this vessel becomes damaged or even dies as a result of not receiving enough oxygen. This is what we call a heart attack, or myocardial infarction. When the blockage causes reduced blood supply and ongoing chest pains over a longer period of time, we call this angina.
Cholesterol build-up and plaque formation is closely associated with the consumption of saturated fat and dietary cholesterol, mostly found in animal products. Avoiding these foods with a plant-based diet means we can avoid this build-up. There is even some evidence that heart disease can be reversed, with these blockages re-opening and a re-establishment of blood supply to potentially diseased heart tissue occurring.
Another significant benefit of a WFPB diet is that it is rich in fibre, which has long been associated with good heart health. Fibre also has a plethora of other health benefits, one of which is helping to reduce inflammation within the body, therefore reducing the risk of other inflammation-based diseases. But the benefits of fibre are more than enough for another article, or even a book!
Obesity
Obesity, defined as a body mass index (BMI) of more than 30kg/m², is on the rise. This is worrying because of its associations with heart disease, diabetes, liver and kidney disease, certain cancers, osteoarthritis, and many other chronic conditions. Obesity is, in itself, a chronic disease, as it causes alterations in our metabolism and even gene expression, making it very difficult to lose weight once a lot has been gained.
Vegetarians and vegans have been shown to have, on average, a lower BMI than omnivores. Those who follow a WFPB diet have been shown to have greater success with weight loss and to sustain the effects several years after making dietary changes. A WFPB diet is lower in fat because of the avoidance of meat, eggs and cheese, but it is also rich in fibre, which helps you to feel fuller for longer, and it feeds the gut microbiome, which contributes to our overall health. I told you fibre was just amazing!
Hypertension
Hypertension, or elevated blood pressure, is a concern because it is associated with stroke, heart disease, kidney disease and dementia. It has been demonstrated that those who follow a plant-based diet tend to have lower blood pressure. Diets rich in saturated fat and salt can lead to hypertension, and plant-based foods tend to contain lower quantities of these potentially harmful ingredients. Hypertension is another condition that it is possible to reverse – changing from a diet high in animal fats and processed foods to a whole-food, plant-based diet can bring a high blood pressure back down to normal.
This article has only scratched the surface of the effects of a healthy plant-based diet on health. While these lifestyle meditated diseases might quite obviously be affected by what we eat, there are many more maladies, like several cancers, for which the evidence of plant-based diets having preventative effects or a role in managing them is strong.
But, while a plant-based or vegan diet can be very healthy and help to prevent, and even treat, some chronic diseases, it is important to remember that not every vegan diet is a healthy one. Although junk-food vegan diets can contain less saturated fat and more fibre than a diet rich in animal proteins, the optimal diet is one centred around whole foods, including grains, seeds, legumes, fruits and vegetables. If you are going vegan for your health, or if you are a health-conscious, ethical vegan, make sure to ditch the vegan cheese and meat replacements for whole-food sources of protein.
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