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Endorsement by Diabetes Associations
Endorsement by Diabetes Associations
25 Oct 2020
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Since 2010, Whole Food Plant-Based (WFPB) guidelines have been endorsed by over a dozen medical and governmental organizations which influence millions of people. This article presents an overview of diabetes-related organizations.
(2019) Plant Based Diets Recognized by Diabetes Associations (Dr Greger)

(5 mins) Transcript.

(2022) American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM)

ACLM encourages adoption of WFPB guidelines for diabetes.

2022 Expert Consensus Statement: Dietary Interventions to Treat Type 2 Diabetes in Adults with a Goal of Remission: An Expert Consensus Statement from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine by Rosenfeld et al, Am J Lifestyle Medicine (2022).

"This expert consensus statement is endorsed by American Association of Clinical Endocrinology, is supported by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and is co-sponsored by the Endocrine Society"

2020 Position Paper:Type 2 Diabetes Remission and Lifestyle Medicine: A Position Statement From the American College of Lifestyle Medicine by John Kelly, Micaela Karisen and Gregory Steinke, June 8, 2020. Available as PDF here.

(2013) Kaiser Permanente

2013 was a landmark year. A major healthcare provider in USA embraced WFPB: Kaiser Permanente! Kaiser is a large corporation with over 200,000 employees and over 70 billion USD in annual revenue in 2017. It insures over 4 million individuals. For more information, see Facts about Kaiser.

Research Paper for Physicians: Nutritional Update for Physicians: Plant-Based Diets, Permanente Journal, 17(2): 61-66, Spring 2013. This was a landmark article that enabled Kaiser physicians to start advocating WFPB to patients. A quote:

“Physicians should consider recommending a plant-based diet to all their patients, especially those with high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or obesity.”

Kaiser has a website with PDF files to support plant-based guidelines. For details, see WFPB & Kaiser Permanente.

(2015) AACE / ACE

2015: AACE started recommending a plant-based diet for diabetes! Please see AACE & ACE — Clinical Practice Guidelines for Developing a Diabetes Mellitus Comprehensive Care Plan — 2015, Endocrine Practice, Vol 21, Issue Supplement 1, April 2015, pages 1-87.

2018: AACE continued to emphasize a plant-based diet.

2020: See Consensus Statement by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists and American College of Endocrinology on the Comprehensive Type 2 Diabetes Management Algorithm — 2020 Executive Summary, Endocrine Practice, Vol 26, No 1, Jan 2020.

An excerpt:

Lifestyle therapy begins with motivational interviewing techniques, nutrition counseling, and education. All patients should strive to attain and maintain an optimal weight through a primarily plant-based meal plan high in polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, with limited intake of saturated fatty acids and avoidance of trans fats.

For details, see WFPB & AACE / ACE.

(2017) American Diabetes Association (ADA)

2017: See Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes — 2017, Diabetes Care, Vol 40, Supplement 1, 142 pages, Jan 2017 by American Diabetes Association. Excerpts from this publication:

“The Mediterranean, Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), and plant-based diets are all examples of healthful eating patterns.” (page S34)

“A variety of eating patterns are acceptable for the management of type 2 diabetes and prediabetes including Mediterranean, DASH, and plant-based diets.” (page S35)

American Diabetes Association recommends three 'healthy eating patterns': Mediterranean, DASH and plant-based. They don't recommend any of them as best.

2019: American Diabetes Association continued to say that Mediterranean, DASH Diet and plant-based diets are healthful eating patterns. See Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes — 2019.

For more details, see WFPB & ADA.

(2016) Canadian Diabetes Association (CDA)

This video by Dr Greger explains that since 2016, Canadian Diabetes Association has taken WFPB seriously. In the video, Dr Greger refers to two papers:

  1. A Comprehensive Review of the Literature Supporting Recommendations From the Canadian Diabetes Association for the Use of a Plant-Based Diet for Management of Type 2 Diabetes by Sylvia Rinaldi et al, Canadian J Diabetes, Vol 40, Issue 5, pages 471-4277, October 2016 (full article: pdf file).
  2. Awareness and Perception of Plant-Based Diets for the Treatment and Management of Type 2 Diabetes in a Community Education Clinic: A Pilot Study by Lee, McKay & Ardern, J Nutrition and Metabolism, Volume 2015, Article ID 236234, 6 pages.

For details, please see WFPB & CDA.

Kidney International

Dietary guidelines by Kidney International for diabetes management in CKD (Chronic Kidney Disease)? An excerpt from this publication (PDF):

(3.1) Nutrition Intake

(3.1.1) Patients with diabetes and CKD should consume an individualized diet high in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fiber, legumes, plant-based proteins, unsaturated fats, and nuts; and lower in processed meats, refined carbohydrates, and sweetened beverages.

Sources: (1) KDIGO 2020 Clinical Practice Guideline for Diabetes Management in Chronic Kidney Disease, Kidney International (2020) 98; S1-S115, and (2) Diabetes Management in Chronic Kidney Disease: Synopsis of the 2020 KDIGO Clinical Practice Guideline, Annals of Internal Medicine, 2021 Mar;174(3):385-394.
… but wait a minute! If we have diabetes, why wait for our kidneys to fail before we feel motivated to adopt Kidney International guidelines? Shouldn't these be the default guidelines for diabetes, advocated by endocrinologists & diabetes associations? 🤔

For more details, see WFPB & Kidney International.

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