Man with diabetes loses weight, cuts insulin needs after adopting plant-based diet

HEALTH

Man with diabetes loses weight, cuts insulin needs after adopting plant-based diet

CTVNews.ca Staff

Published Tuesday, January 7, 2020 9:37AM EST

A 69-year-old American man with diabetes lost 68 lbs (31 kg) and dropped his insulin requirements by more than 50 per cent after adopting a whole-foods and plant-based diet, according to a new case report published in the British Medical Journal. (Magda Ehlers/Pexels)

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TORONTO -- A 69-year-old American man with diabetes lost 68 lb. (31 kg) and dropped his insulin requirements by more than 50 per cent after adopting a whole-foods and plant-based diet.

The results of the 鈥渄ietary therapy,鈥� achieved without calorie counting, portion control or a fitness routine, are outlined in a December .

In less than a year, the retired business executive and former smoker experienced a dramatic lessening of his various ailments. He has Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, Stage 3 chronic kidney disease, and elevated levels of phosphate and potassium in the blood. In 2017, he visited health professionals seeking a diet change, concerned about his worsening condition.

鈥淗e was on 12 different medications and had experienced troublesome side effects, particularly weight gain,鈥� the case report reads. 鈥淗is 鈥榯ipping point鈥� was his recent diagnosis of hyperphosphataemia 鈥� and a conversation with his nephrologist in which he was told that he might progress to the need for dialysis in as soon as (five) years.鈥�

On the new diet plan, the man and his wife started eating oatmeal breakfasts, salad lunches, and whole-wheat pasta dinners, among other menu items (see below).

Within the first two months, he stopped taking four medications after his blood pressure and glucose improved. His insulin 鈥渟teadily titrated downward.鈥� The dosages for several medications were cut by as much as half within a few months, and he saw his creatinine levels (a kidney function measure) normalize for the first time in at least eight years.

鈥淭his case illustrates an alternative treatment approach that may be appropriate for select, highly motivated patients, using a strict (whole-foods and plant-based diet),鈥� the report said. 鈥淭his approach may offer effective treatment of (chronic kidney disease) in patients with the common metabolic comorbidities of obesity, hypertension and diabetes.鈥�

The man and his spouse followed the provided food guide strictly, with the exception of a weekly restaurant dinner, and after 11 months there was 鈥減ersistent benefit鈥� reported, the report said.

Before the dietary therapy, the man鈥檚 typical meals included a breakfast of shredded wheat with coffee, a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch or macaroni with meat sauce, and a dinner of 鈥淚talian wedding soup鈥� with meatballs, beans and rice. He was known to indulge in an evening snack of cookies or peanut butter cheese crackers. He and his wife dined out once a week, and continued to do so after the diet switch. His exercise routine included 45 minutes of walking on an indoor treadmill.

While there is limited research on the effects of this specific diet on chronic kidney disease, the case report authors note that there is some research supporting other dietary intervention, including the introduction of more fruits and vegetables, a 鈥溾€� diet, and a higher ratio of plant to animal protein.

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WHAT鈥橲 ON THE MENU

The case report details the following meals for an 鈥渆xample day鈥� on the plan that the man followed.

Breakfast: Oatmeal with fruit and flaxseed

Lunch: Beans and kale (greens and beans) cooked in vegetable stock

Dinner: Whole-wheat spaghetti and steamed veggies cooked and prepared without oil

Snacks: At least two fresh clementines

The following details the groups of food appropriate for the type of whole-foods, plant-based diet which the patient followed.

鈥楢LLOWED FOODS鈥�

Non-starchy vegetables

Starchy vegetables (potatoes and beans)

Whole grains, including whole grain flours