Diet is thought to play a key role in preventing the onset of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and in helping to mitigate the risk of chronic diseases for which people with DM are at an increased risk. For example, a meta-analysis by Lee et al.1 that included 14 observational studies found that the pooled odds ratio (OR) for DM in vegetarians compared with non-vegetarians was 0.726 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.608, 0.867). Furthermore, subgroup analysis indicated that vegans had a much lower risk than vegetarians overall (0.596 vs 0.726). Importantly, the observed inverse association between a vegetarian diet and the risk of DM exists even after adjusting for body mass index (BMI).2,3

SAC Position Paper – Soyfoods, glycemic control and diabetes ENSA SAC – EN(PDF)