Doctors Offer Diet Classes and 53% Saw Improvement in Diabetes, Hypertension

Eight-weeks, after taking a nutrition course to learn about how to eat a whole-food, plant-based diet, over half of the participants with high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes showed significant improvements in their health.

A new free online nutrition course starts tomorrow, August 25th Sign up here to start.

The Physicians Committee Responsible Medicine (PCRM) offered a free eight-week program online to educated people about plant-based nutrition, called Fight COVID-19 with Food. This course is aimed at helping people who are at the highest risk for severe symptoms from COVID-19 if they catch the virus, due to the fact that they need to lose weight and improve their health to minimize risk factors associated with the worst cases of coronavirus.

“A plant-based diet is one of the most powerful tools we have in medicine,” says Vanita Rahman, MD, class instructor. “Within weeks of making a diet change, class participants saw their blood pressure and blood sugar improve, lost weight, and reported other profound benefits to their health.”

Doctors designed this course to teach participants the health benefits of a plant-based diet in dialing back chronic diseases like hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and inflammation, all associated with the most dangerous symptoms of COVID-19. The course included tips, a guide to meal planning and interactive Q & A's to set participants up for success.

Participants lost weight and improved their health.

The course has been life-changing for many participants especially those with diabetes and high blood pressure, according to the organizers. PCRM surveyed the participants after the course ended and the results were impressive: 53% of those who were diabetic reported improvements and 54% with high blood pressure saw improvements. Out of all class participants who wanted to lose weight, 67% of those eating plant-based did.

PCRM designed this course after assessing its local community in Washington D.C. Though it is meant to be accessible to all, PCRM is hoping communities hit the hardest by chronic diseases and COVID-19, especially communities of color, will take advantage of this course. PCRM is actively trying to offer communities at disadvantage resources to be their healthiest. PCRM founder Dr. Neil Barnard said:

“D.C.’s Black residents make up 46% of the population, but an overwhelming 80% of COVID deaths. That’s unacceptable. While there are many factors involved in health disparities, as doctors, we know that a healthy diet can be an important part of the solution. We want to do everything we can to get this free information into the hands of people who need it.”

People around the globe are taking a hard look at their diets and health overall. We're all trying to stay healthy and for some, that means eating plant-based. “Whether you live or die from COVID-19 often depends on whether you have heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, and other underlying conditions. A plant-based diet can help tackle these conditions, and our goal is to share this lifesaving information with as many people as we can,” Dr. Barnard emphasized. This free course may be the opportunity to offer more the tools they need for a healthier lifestyle.

PCRM is bringing the free online nutrition course back after its success. Sign up here to start on August 25th.