Dieta vegetariana utile per migliorare il livello glicemico

Vi raccomandiamo, prima di procedere nella consultazione, di leggere le avvertenze.


Il 4 Febbraio 2008 Roberto D. scrive:
Vorrei sapere se la dieta vegetariana potrebbe apportare miglioramenti al livello glicemico. Frequento una palestra due volte a settimana, persi 6-8 kg.

Risponde il prof. Leonardo Pinelli, diabetologo:
Sicuramente sì. L’alimentazione vegetariana ben organizzata (mi raccomando) è sicura in tutte le fasi della vita dell’uomo. È inoltre assolutamente indicata in alcune patologie, fra cui il diabete.
Questo concetto è espresso chiaramente in un articolo pubblicato da poco dal British Journal of Nutrition di cui sotto riporto la parte dedicata a vegetarismo e diabete.

“Teaching children with diabetes about adequate dietary choices”
Claudio Maffeis e Leonardo Pinelli
British Journal of Nutrition (2008), 99, Suppl. 1, S33­S39

“.......Vegetarian diet
A small fraction of individuals living in industrialized countries have a vegetarian diet, although vegetarianism is becoming more popular. Several studies have shown that a plant-based diet high in fibre-rich foods, such as vegetables, fruits, cereals, whole grains and legumes, is inversely related to BMI, overweight and obesity, blood pressure, blood lipids, cancer, heart disease and all-cause mortality(52 ­ 57). Recent data suggest that diabetes care has benefited from a vegetarian diet(58,59).
In fact, a low-fat plant-based diet influences nutrient intake and body composition in several ways that may, in turn, affect insulin sensitivity. First, dietary energy density and energy intake are reduced in a low-fat, high-fibre diet. The weight-reducing effect of the vegan diet is probably responsible for a substantial proportion of its effect on the reduction of the HbA1C(58 ­ 60). Second, reductions in total fat intake and in the proportion of dietary saturated to unsaturated fat as well as the increased intake of low-glycaemic-index and high-fibre foods increase insulin sensitivity(59,60).
Few data are available in children with type 1 diabetes having a vegetarian diet. Kontessis et al. demonstrated that a vegetarian diet is able to improve microalbuminuria in normotensive, normoproteinuric children with type 1 diabetes(61).
Moreover, the American Dietetic Association and the Dietitians of Canada suggest that well-balanced vegetarian diets are healthy and adequate from a nutritional standpoint and have health benefits for the prevention and treatment of certain pathologies(62). Type 1 diabetes is potentially one of these.


Data ultimo aggiornamento: Giovedì, 14 Febbraio 2008 6:30.00
URL: http://www.progettodiabete.org/expert/2008/e2_02907.html