I came across this brilliant article on the beet.com on what happens to our bodies when
we go plant based and so I thought I would expound on this further and dig into the research!
The link to the original article is in the description below make sure to check it out!
So according to the medical literature here is what can happen and how long it might take!
Within 1-2 hours: not only will inflammation levels drop but symptoms of diabetes will
be easier to manage there’s a pro-inflammatory signalling molecule in our bodies called interleukin-18
which can play a role destabilizing atherosclerotic plaques and it is a Strong Predictor of Cardiovascular
Death.
In this study interleukin-18 levels inflammation in the body changed after a single meal participants
who ate the plant based meal had around a 20% drop in IL-18 levels within hours.
Every time we eat a wholefood plant based meal, the fiber helps to keep our blood sugar
in check which helps our body burn fuel steadily rather than causing our insulin to spike.
Plants also help the body to make healthy amounts of insulin after eating.
Then quote “Within a few days of starting a whole-food, plant-based diet, you may be
able to significantly reduce your insulin dose or medication,” says Dr Hana Kahleova.
Now this study backs up these findings.
Researchers compared the effects of a plant-based meal to a meal containing meat on participants
with type 2 diabetes.
The results show that participants’ postprandial secretion of insulin increased more after
the plant-based meal than the meat-based meal.
Secretion of incretin hormones, particularly glucagon-like-peptide 1 (GLP-1), also increased
more after the vegan meal.
Incretin hormones amplify the release of insulin after a meal and also help decrease blood
glucose levels.
Beta-cell function parameters also improved after the vegan meal.
Beta cells synthesize, store, and release insulin.
Beta-cell function is typically diminished in those who have diabetes, and preserving
beta cells’ capacity to produce insulin is a cornerstone in the treatment of diabetes.
Then Within 1 week: Your cholesterol will be lower.
In The Game Changers documentary after just one week of eating only plants, the firefighters
experiences a drop in their cholesterol.
According to cardiologist Dr Joel Kahn “A total immersion into a whole-food plant diet
can result in a rapid drop in your total cholesterol as much as 100 mg/dl," Again changes can be
so dramatic that as with all the information we share in this video any changes you make
to your diet should be discussed with your doctor first.
Within 1-2 weeks your blood pressure may drop back to normal.
Dr Joel Kahn says quote "A single week of eating a totally plant diet consisting of
fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes can often reduce blood pressure by 10 mmHg
or more and allow medications to be reduced.
Some people might even be able to cut their meds within a few days, or weeks, under doctor
supervision."
This is again backed up by science as researchers showed that Participants in this study saw
their blood pressure drop 19 points, on average, after just 14 days.
Within 1 - 2 weeks: You'll get slimmer!
In PCRM studies, average weight loss after transitioning to a whole-food, plant-based
diet is about a pound a week.
Some people, however, may lose two or three pounds a week.
According to Dr Kahleova quote 'That means that after one year, you could be some 52
pounds lighter, with only one change.
These statements are also backed up by numerous studies.
Within 2 - 3 weeks: chest pain could diminish.
Heart disease can bring on angina, or chest pain.
According to Dr Joel Kahn patients have dramatically reversed symptoms of heart disease in as little
as three weeks on a plant based diet.
“You can experience rapid, profound changes including angina symptoms dropping by as much
as 90 percent.
More and more case reports are confirming this finding.
Within 1-2 months: Your unhealthy TMAO levels will fall.
Eating red meat and egg yolks can cause a spike in unhealthy gut molecules Called Trimethylamine
N -oxide.
“TMAO promotes clogged arteries, organ scarring, and blood clotting and predicts a worrisome
outcome in many disease states,” says Dr. Kahn, When you switch to a wholefood plant
based diet abnormal TMAO levels can return to normal in as little as four weeks.
Within 6 weeks erectile dysfunction and sexual dysfunction can disappear.
We all remember those striking experiments from the documentary The Game Changers on
improvement in sexual function.
If you haven't seen the film I highly recommend going to watch it!
Improvement can be seen anywhere from one to six weeks according to Dr Caldwell Esselstyn.
This is due to dramatic improvement in circulation as the same circulatory system that blocks
arteries can also affect the smaller vascularity below your waist.
This is again backed up by research and may also true for women too as sexual function
in women is also significantly affected by atherosclerotic narrowing of blood flow through
the arteries, including the arteries that supply the pelvis.
Within 1 year: Your arteries will be less clogged.
When you switch to a whole food plant based diet clogging and hardening of the arteries
can be stopped in its tracks.
Then as time goes on the blood vessels can recover significantly and narrowing and constrictions
begins to open up, in many cases.