Can a vegan diet help people with type 1 diabetes save on insulin? A secondary analysis of a 12-Week randomized clinical trial

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

10-14-2025

Journal

BMC nutrition

Volume

11

Issue

1

DOI

10.1186/s40795-025-01175-2

Keywords

Diet; Insulin cost; Nutrition; Plant-based; Portion-controlled; Type 1 diabetes; Vegan

Abstract

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: This secondary analysis compared the effect of a vegan to a portion-controlled diet on insulin use and insulin costs in people with type 1 diabetes (T1D). METHODS: Fifty-eight adults with T1D were randomly assigned to a vegan (n = 29) or a portion-controlled group (n = 29) for 12 weeks. Federal Supply Schedule pharmaceutical pricing was used to assess insulin costs. RESULTS: Total dose of insulin decreased by 12.1 units/day in the vegan group (p = 0.007), compared to no significant change in the portion-controlled group (treatment effect - 10.7 units/day [95% CI, -21.3 to -0.2]; p = 0.046). Total insulin costs decreased by 27% ($1.08/day; p = 0.003) in the vegan group, compared to no significant change in the portion-controlled group (-$0.38/day [95% CI, -$2.13 to +$1.38]; p = 0.66). CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: This study shows that a low-fat vegan diet could reduce insulin use and insulin costs in people with T1D. Larger trials are needed to confirm these findings. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov , NCT04944316, registered on June 29, 2021.

Department

Medicine

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