The global health burden of T2D is further increased by the numerous complications arising from the disease, both macrovascular, such as cardiovascular disease, and microvascular, which damage the kidneys, the eyes, and the nervous system.
The diabetes epidemic is primarily caused by unhealthy diets, being overweight or obese, genetic predisposition, and other lifestyle factors such as a lack of exercise.
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Plant-based diets, especially healthy ones rich in high-quality foods such as whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, have been associated with a lower risk of developing T2D but the underlying mechanisms involved are not fully understood.
Researchers at the Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA, aimed to identify the metabolite profiles related to different plant-based diets and investigate possible associations between those profiles and the risk of developing T2D.
A metabolite is a noting but a substance used or produced by the chemical processes in a living organism and includes the vast number of compounds found in different foods as well as the complex variety of molecules created as those compounds are broken down and transformed for use by the body.
Differences in the chemical makeup of foods mean that an individual’s diet should be reflected in their metabolite profile. Recent technological advances in the field of high-throughput metabolomics profiling have ushered in a new era of nutritional research.
Based on this, the research team analyzed blood plasma samples and dietary intake of 10,684 participants from three prospective cohorts (Nurses’ Health Study, Nurses’ Health Study II, and Health Professionals Follow-up Study). Participants were predominantly white, middle-aged (mean age 54 years), and with a mean body mass index (BMI) of 25.6kg/m2.
Study participants were asked to complete a food frequency questionnaires (FFQs) which were scored according to their adherence to three plant-based diets: an overall Plant-based Diet Index (PDI), a healthy Plant-based Diet Index (hPDI), and an Unhealthy Plant-Based Diet Index (uPDI).
Diet indices were based on that individual’s intake of 18 food groups: healthy plant foods (whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, vegetable oils, and tea/coffee); unhealthy plant foods (refined grains, fruit juices, potatoes, sugar-sweetened beverages, and sweets/desserts); and animal foods (animal fats, dairy, eggs, fish/seafood, meat, and miscellaneous animal-based foods).
The team distinguished between healthy and unhealthy plant foods according to their association with T2D, cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, and other conditions, including obesity and high blood pressure.
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Researchers then tested blood samples taken back in the late 1980s and 1990s in the early phase of the three studies mentioned above to create metabolite profile scores for the participants, and any cases of incident T2D during the follow-up period of the study were recorded.
Analyses of these data together with the diet index scores enabled the team to find any correlations between metabolite profile, diet index, and T2D risk.
They found that compared with participants who did not develop T2D, those who were diagnosed with the disease during follow-up had a lower intake of healthy plant-based foods, as well as lower scores for PDI and hPDI.
In addition, they had a higher average BMI and were more likely to have high blood pressure and cholesterol levels, use blood pressure and cholesterol drugs, have a family history of diabetes, and be less physically active.
These findings support the beneficial role of healthy plant-based diets in diabetes prevention and provide new insights for future investigation.
The intermediate metabolites are at the moment intriguing but further studies are needed to confirm their causal role in the associations between plant-based diets and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Source: Medindia
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