!["This approach makes it feasible for clinicians to integrate [it] into their practice."](https://www.thecooldown.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/plant-based-dietimage-recq0UN2Cw5kgymr4.jpg?w=1920&h=800)
If you've heard of plant-based diets, you may be familiar with the health benefits that come from making the switch, from heart health to metabolic function. A recent study adds a new benefit to the list: managing Type 2 diabetes and its symptoms.
Published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, the study recorded the positive health outcomes of an online physician-led plant-based program that both informed its participants and held them accountable for implementation.
In the past, clinicians have been hesitant to recommend a plant-based diet to their patients despite its proven benefits, "due to challenges such as insufficient nutrition education for healthcare providers, brief office visits, and inadequate insurance coverage," noted Vegconomist.
By contrast, an online intervention program makes professional plant-based recommendations more accessible for patients and more viable for clinical advisers.
According to the study, the 58 participants who completed the online program experienced considerable weight loss as well as A1C and cholesterol reduction over the course of 12 weeks. Almost a quarter of the participants found they could lower their insulin dosages upon completion of the program. And the cost of the program "is comparable to typical copays for a primary or specialty care office visit," Vegconomist added.
Lowering the risk of diabetes — especially as the epidemic grows, expected to afflict over a billion people by 2050, per Vegconomist — is crucial to maintaining the length and quality of your life. The recent study, among others, is making strides to professionally integrate simple diet and lifestyle changes into the clinical scene.
Going plant-based can also lower your risk for other health complications, including cardiovascular disease, and may boost and nourish your metabolism and digestive system to a greater degree than animal foods. Meanwhile, making the switch can help reduce strain on the meat and dairy industries, which release more than 14% of the world's earth-warming pollution, per the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization.
If enough of us can cut down on meat and dairy consumption — both for our own health and for the planet's — we may see a substantial reduction in agricultural pollution in the years to come.
"This [online intervention] approach makes it feasible for clinicians to integrate plant-based nutrition into their practice, leading to improved outcomes for patients," explained the study's lead author.
|
Why do you eat plant-based foods? Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
The health benefits 🥗 
Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
TCD Picks » Moms Clean Air Force
💡 Join a group of concerned mothers, fathers, and caregivers by signing petitions to fight for children's health
Cool Picks
