Title: Effectiveness and Acceptability of a LowFat, Vegan Diet at GEICO Heather Katcher, Ph'D', R'D' hkatch
1Effectiveness and Acceptability of a Low-Fat,
Vegan Diet at GEICO Heather Katcher, Ph.D.,
R.D. hkatcher_at_washingtonccr.orgWashington
Center for Clinical ResearchWashington,
D.C.April 24, 2009
2Benefits of Plant-based Diets
- Weight control
- Prevent and reverse cardiovascular disease
- Prevent diabetes and improve glycemic control
- Reduce risk of certain types of cancer
3Plant-based Diets are Well-Liked!
- gt 90 said diet was good, moderately good, or
extremely good - 75 said foods were fairly, moderately or
extremely easy to prepare - gt 80 said likely to continue with diet at least
most of time
Barnard et al., J Nutr Educ, 2000 Barnard et
al., J Cardiopulm Rehabil, 2004
4Low-fat, Vegan diet
- No animal products
- Abundant fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and
legumes - No added oils
5Why Vegan?
- Plant Foods
- No Cholesterol
- Low Fat
- Low Saturated Fat
- High Fiber
- Antioxidants
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7Study Participants
- Employees with BMI 25 or type 2 diabetes
- 113 Total Participants at GEICO
- 68 at Chevy Chase, MD (low-fat vegan diet)
- 45 at Fredericksburg, VA (no diet changes)
8Nutrition Intervention
- Weekly group meetings at Chevy Chase
- Nutrition Education
- Group Support
- Cooking demonstrations
- Vegan options in cafeteria
9Medical Visits
Weight and waist circumference Blood
pressure Lipids A1c in those with diabetes
Absenteeism self report Quality of Life
Short Form (SF)-36 Diet Satisfaction Food
Acceptability Questionnaire
10Study Participants
- Vegan Control
- Age 46 10 42 10
- Women 50 (73.5) 43 (95.6)
- BMI (kg/m2) 36.4 (7.3) 36.4 (7.1)
- LDL-C (mg/dL) 104 32 107 28
- Triglycerides (mg/dL) 154 97 132 62
- Systolic BP (mmHg) 119 14 116 11
- Diastolic BP (mmHg) 80 10 78 8
P lt 0.05
Am J Health Promotion, In press
11Change in Body Weight
100.3
100.1
99.9
98.7
94.4
93.6
P-value lt0.0001
Am J Health Promotion, In press
12Change in Body Weight
Ranges in weight change Vegan 6.3kg (13.9lbs)
to -20.7kg (45.6lbs) Control 16.5kg (36.4lbs)
to -7.9kg (17.4lbs) Total change in
weight Vegan -348.7kg (768.8lbs) n
68 Control 6.1kg (13.4lbs) n 45
13Change in Waist Circumference
14Change in Waist Circumference
111.5
111.0
110.2
110.3
106.6
105.5
P-value lt0.0001
Am J Health Promotion, In press
15Hillary and Bruce
Before After Hillary 240 lbs
(36.4 kg/m2) 155 lbs (23.5 kg/m2) Bruce 283
lbs (36.6 kg/m2) 185 lbs (23.8 kg/m2)
16Change in LDL-cholesterol
Individuals with no medication changes, vegan, n
63 control, n 44
Control
107
105
104
105
98
95
P n.s.
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17Change in Hemoglobin A1c
All participants with type 2 diabetes, vegan, n
10 control, n 9
Control
7.4
7.4
7.1
7.0
6.7
6.7
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18Change in Hemoglobin A1c
Individuals with no medication changes, vegan, n
5 control, n 6
7.8
7.5
Control
6.8
6.3
6.2
6.1
Am J Health Promotion, In press
19Eugenia
Before After Weight 309 lbs
251 lbs Cholesterol 289 mg/dL 151
mg/dL A1c gt11 6.1
20Improvements in Quality of Life
p lt 0.05
21Absenteeism Due to Health Problems
22.8
16.7
P 0.17
Am J Health Promotion, In press
22Overall Diet Satisfaction
Extremely Satisfied
Control
Neutral
P 0.007
23Summary
- Following a low-fat, vegan diet for 22 weeks
- Reduced body weight
- Lowered A1c
- Improved quality of life
- Increased diet satisfaction
- Decreased absenteeism
24Study Implications for Individuals and Employers
-
- Lower weight
- Prevention and management of diabetes
- Decreased risk for heart disease
- Improved quality of life
- Decreased absenteeism
- Increased productivity
- Decreased health care costs
-
25After the study
- Support groups at both sites
- Intervention for control group participants
26Next Steps
- Measure cost-effectiveness at GEICO
- Multi-center diabetes study
- Expand programs to other worksites
27Acknowledgments
- Hope Ferdowsian, M.D., M.P.H. P.I.
- Neal Barnard, M.D. Co-Investigator
- Study Participants
- GEICO Human Resources
- Sandra Davis, M.D. Medical Director
28Resources
- Study curriculum
- www.pcrm.org/health/diabetes/GEICO_Curriculum.html
- Nutrition information and recipes
- www.nutritionMD.org
- Contact information
- Heather Katcher, Ph.D., R.D.
- hkatcher_at_washingtonccr.org