Doctors' Group Encourages Vegan Diet Over Avandia

Scott Kappes

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A group of professional doctors has petitioned the FDA to add additional information to the label of the controversial type-2 diabetes drug Avandia. The request may surprise you as it did me. They are not petitioning to place another warning about heart failure or the increased risk of heart attack that has been so widely publicized in recent months, but rather to encourage diabetics to adopt a vegan diet. The group has requested that label include a statement saying that a low-fat vegan diet is a safer and more effective approach to controlling blood sugar than Avandia.

The benefits of a low-fat vegan diet extend far beyond controlling blood sugar levels. This type of diet can also lower cholesterol levels, assist in weight loss and even protect against heart disease. The group believes that these facts should be made aware to everyone and especially those suffering from type-2 diabetes.

The FDA hit Avandia with two "black box" warnings over the last half of 2007 and 2008 has not started off that well either. A study unveiled last week attributed more than 83,000 heart attacks to Avandia. GlaxoSmithKline, the makers of Avandia, maintain that their drug is safe and that recent studies are flawed.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Drugs, Medical Devices and Implants.