Vegetarian and Vegan Dietary Patterns to Treat Adult Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Plant-based dietary patterns, including vegetarian and vegan dietary patterns, may help to manage type 2 diabetes (T2DM) by contributing to maintenance of a healthy body weight, improved glycemic control, and reduced risk of diabetes complications. Several diabetes clinical practice guidelines support the use of vegetarian dietary patterns, but there has not been a recently updated systematic review (SR) of evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to examine efficacy. The primary objective of this SR was to examine the effect of vegetarian dietary patterns compared with nonvegetarian dietary patterns in adults with T2DM. MEDLINE, CINAHL, Cochrane CENTRAL Database of Controlled Trials, Food Science Source, and SportsDiscus databases were searched for RCTs published from 1998 to May 2023. Two independent reviewers extracted data and assessed risk of bias using the Cochrane RoB 2 tool. Data were pooled using a DerSimonian–Laird random-effects model and expressed as mean differences (MDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Heterogeneity was assessed using the I² statistic, and certainty of evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation approach. Full texts of 66 articles were reviewed, and 7 RCTs (n = 770 participants) were included in this SR. Vegetarian dietary patterns likely reduce hemoglobin A1c [MD (95% CI): –0.40% (–0.59, –0.21)] and body mass index [MD (95% CI): –0.96 kg/m² (–1.58, –0.34)] (moderate certainty evidence); may allow for reduced diabetes medication (in 2 of 3 included studies) (low certainty); and may improve metabolic clearance of glucose (insulin sensitivity) [MD (95% CI): 10% (1.86, 18.14)] (very low certainty), compared with nonvegetarian dietary patterns. There were no effects of vegetarian dietary patterns on fasting blood glucose, fasting insulin, or low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations. These findings support the inclusion of vegetarian or vegan dietary patterns as options in nutrition care plans for adults with T2DM. PROSPERO Registration: CRD42023396453.