Vegan Diet Improves Diet Quality, Cardiovascular Disease Risk, and Symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes
A low-fat vegan diet is associated with better diet quality, weight management, and blood glucose control compared to the American Diabetes Association (ADA) dietary recommendations for diabetes, according to a study by PCRM researchers published in the October 2008 Journal of the American Dietetic Association. Ninety-nine adults with type 2 diabetes were randomly assigned to follow either a low-fat vegan diet or the ADA dietary guidelines for 22 weeks. The vegan diet significantly improved the Alternate Healthy Eating Index score, which reflects better diet quality and has been associated with lower risk for cardiovascular disease. The vegan group consumed more carbohydrate, fiber, and several micronutrients. The vegan group also lost more weight and displayed better glucose control compared to the ADA group. Long-term adherence to a low-fat vegan diet may reduce the risk of major chronic diseases, particularly cardiovascular disease, in people with type 2 diabetes.

Turner-McGrievy GM, Barnard ND, Cohen J, Jenkins DJA, Gloede L, Green AA. Changes in nutrient intake and dietary quality among participants with type 2 diabetes following a low-fat vegan diet or a conventional diabetes diet for 22 weeks. J Am Diet Assoc. 2008;108:1636-1645.

Foodborne Infection Originates in Meat and Poultry
Ninety-seven percent of human disease from the pathogenic bacterium C. jejuni originates in animals farmed for meat and poultry, according to a study by researchers at Lancaster University, Lancaster, U.K. Researchers analyzed DNA from 1,231 cases of C. jejuni infections in Lancashire, England. Only 3 percent of cases were traced back to environmental contamination or wild animal sources, while 97 percent of cases were traced back to farm-raised chickens, cattle, and sheep. These results implicate livestock as the primary transmission route for the leading cause of gastroenteritis in the developed world, which is thought to infect 2 to 3 million people per year in the U.S. alone.

Wilson DJ, Gabriel E, Leatherbarrow AJ, et al. Tracing the source of campylobacteriosis. PLoS Genet. September 26, 2008;4(9):e1000203.