November is National Diabetes Month

Dear Editor,

People may not wear pink ribbons in November, for National Diabetes Month, but it’s important nonetheless. Diabetes can lead to blindness, heart and kidney problems, nerve damage, and more. A new study by Loma Linda University School of Public Health found that meat-eaters and people with high body mass indexes, or BMIs, have a greater risk for diabetes. The study also suggests that vegetarians who eat more than five eggs a week may also have an increased risk for diabetes.

If you want to ward off the disease, try eating tasty vegan foods. In general, vegans have lower BMIs than vegetarians and meat-eaters alike, and previous studies have shown that vegans are 46 to 74 percent less likely to suffer from diabetes than meat-eaters. Researchers have also found that diabetics who eat low-fat vegan foods are able to stop taking medications—or at least take fewer of them—to manage the disease.

I invite everyone, especially meat-eaters, vegetarians, overweight individuals, and women who had gestational diabetes while pregnant—as they are more likely to get type 2 diabetes later in life—to visit www.PETA.org for a free vegan starter kit.

Sincerely,

Heather Moore
PETA Foundation