{"id":2301,"date":"2020-05-13T17:56:06","date_gmt":"2020-05-13T17:56:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.veganfriendly.org.uk\/?post_type=health&p=2301"},"modified":"2020-05-13T17:56:06","modified_gmt":"2020-05-13T17:56:06","slug":"can-a-vegan-diet-help-with-diabetes","status":"publish","type":"health","link":"https:\/\/www.veganfriendly.org.uk\/health-fitness\/can-a-vegan-diet-help-with-diabetes\/","title":{"rendered":"Can a Vegan Diet Help with Diabetes?"},"content":{"rendered":"
Diabetes, or diabetes mellitus<\/em> (to use its full Latin name!), is a collection of illnesses that relate to the body\u2019s metabolism, and specifically to blood sugar levels. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that across the globe there are almost 350 million people with diabetes, though others (such as the International Diabetes Federation) put the estimate at over 450 million people.<\/p>\n The illness is broadly split into two branches; type 1 is an autoimmune disease that results in the pancreas not producing enough insulin to control levels of glucose in the blood; and type 2 is diagnosed when cells in the body fail to utilise insulin properly.<\/p>\n In this article, we will explain diabetes in more detail, looking at the differences between type 1 and type 2. We will also look into the research that has shown many people with type 2 diabetes have been able to reduce the effects of the illness or even reverse the condition completely. And, coming at the subject from a vegan point of view, we will attempt to ascertain whether following a vegan diet can help people manage diabetes, or (in the case of type 2 diabetes) whether following a vegan diet can prevent developing the illness in the first place or, if you have been diagnosed, to reverse it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Diabetes is a chronic (long-lasting) illness that is related to insulin, the hormone in the body that helps ensure blood sugar levels are not too high or too low. The NHS<\/a> describes diabetes as a \u201clifelong condition\u201d, and at present, this is certainly the case for people with type 1. Some people with type 2 diabetes, however, have been able to at least put their illness into remission \u2013 there has been reluctance in some quarters to suggest they have been cured completely as it is thought the illness could return in certain circumstances.<\/p>\n In the UK, it is estimated the something in the region of 90% of people with diabetes have type 2 and though there are almost four million people in the UK having been diagnosed with diabetes, The British Diabetic Association estimates there are around another 1 million people with type 2 diabetes who haven\u2019t yet been diagnosed.<\/p>\n The numbers of people with diabetes in the UK and the world in general are on the rise. The reasons for the increasing prevalence are difficult to pin down but the International Diabetes Federation<\/a> suggests a \u201ccomplex interplay of socioeconomic, demographic, environmental and genetic factors\u201d that includes things like people eating more, more people being employed in non-physical work and the amount of processed and unhealthy food people consume.<\/p>\n The number of people with diabetes in the UK has been rising steadily for some time, as we can see from the table below:<\/p>\nWhat Is Diabetes?<\/h2>\n
Number of People Diagnosed with Diabetes in the United Kingdom<\/h3>\n