A Nutritional Intervention in Police Officers

This study tests the hypotheses that a low-fat, plant-based (vegan) diet improves body weight, plasma lipid concentrations, blood pressure, and, in individuals with type 2 diabetes, glycemic control, that a low-fat, plant-based diet improves health-related quality of life as measured by the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36-Item Health Survey (SF-36), and that a low-fat, plant-based diet improves mood, as measured by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale-Revised (CESD-R).

Inclusion criteria

• Men and women at least 18 years
• Body mass index ≥ 25 kg/m2 and/or a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus, as defined by a fasting plasma glucose concentration ≥ 126 mg/dl on two occasions or a prior physician's diagnosis of type 2 diabetes
• Currently an employee of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia
• Ability and willingness to participate in all components of the study
• A willingness to be randomly assigned to either study group

Exclusion criteria

• Alcohol consumption of more than 2 drinks per day or the equivalent, episodic increased drinking (e.g., more than 2 drinks per day on weekends), or a history of alcohol abuse or dependency followed by any current use
• Use of recreational drugs in the past 6 months (past drug use, if fully recovered, is not a criteria for exclusion)
• Pregnancy
• Unstable medical or psychiatric illness
• Likely to be disruptive in group sessions (as determined by research staff)
• Already following a low-fat, vegan diet
• Lack of English fluency
• Inability or unwillingness to participate in all components of the study