A Very-Low-Fat Vegan Diet Increases Intake of Protective Dietary Factors and Decreases Intake of Pathogenic Dietary Factors

Health effects of vegan diets

“…In general, vegetarians typically enjoy a lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), obesity, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers (3). A vegan diet appears to be useful for increasing the intake of protective nutrients and phytochemicals and for minimizing the intake of dietary factors implicated in several chronic diseases (9). In a recent report (10), different plant food groups were rated with respect to their metabolicepidemiologic evidence for influencing chronic disease reduction.…”

Animal (De)liberation: Should the Consumption of Animal Products Be Banned?

“…One is the fact that vegans are less likely to be obese (WCRF/ AICR 2007). Expert reviews also indicate that diets that are high in fruits and vegetables are associated with decreased cancer risk because of the higher levels of health-promoting substances (such as ascorbic acid, carotenoids, and flavonoids) and a lower level of some carcinogenic components that have been found in some animal products, such as dioxins (WCRF/AICR 2007;Craig 2009;Dewell et al 2008;ADA 2009). A significant concern with many studies that explore relative cancer risks of different populations is that they fail to distinguish between vegetarians and vegans.…”

Vegetarian Dietary Patterns as a Means to Achieve Reduction in Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes Risk Factors

“…The other two studies are a detailed look at the nutrient composition and foods consumed in clinical trials utilizing a vegan diet for treatment or management of chronic disease [26,27]. Both show a very-low-fat vegan diet can be useful in increasing the intake of protective dietary factors and decreasing pathogenic dietary factors.…”

“…Both show a very-low-fat vegan diet can be useful in increasing the intake of protective dietary factors and decreasing pathogenic dietary factors. In one study, 85 men with early-stage prostate cancer were assigned to either usual care or comprehensive lifestyle changes that included an ad libitum very-low-fat vegan diet, moderate aerobic exercise, stress management, and social support [26]. Diet education included training on how to achieve approximately 10% of calories from fat, emphasizing whole, unrefined foods, reductions of added sugar, and the consumption of fortified soy protein powder and tomato-based vegetable juice daily.…”

“…In fact, recent evidence indicates that a low-fat, high-fiber, low-glycemic index dietary pattern is more beneficial than the 2003 ADA diet for managing type 2 diabetes [2••, 27]. Vegetarian and vegan dietary patterns tend to result in nutrient profiles conducive to cardiovascular disease and diabetes risk reduction compared with conventional healthy eating patterns [20,21,[25][26][27], are acceptable [32], and are supported by the American Dietetic Association (provided they are appropriately planned) [7•]. As with any dietary pattern, attention must be paid to nutrient adequacy of the diet.…”