People on a vegan diet that allowed them to eat as much as they wanted not only lost weight, they burned calories faster than their meat-eating counterparts and improved their insulin sensitivity–a key to preventing diabetes and obesity. The vegan eaters were compared to a group that followed a low-fat diet based on national cholesterol education program guidelines. “[T]he vegan dieters enjoyed unlimited servings of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and other healthful foods, which enabled them to lose weight without feeling hungry,” says lead research Neal Barnard, M.D., president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and Vegetarian Times contributing editor. The study was done at Georgetown University Hospital and was reported in the September 2005 issue of the American Journal of Medicine. Although the research focused on postmenopausal women, “these results apply to everyone,” Barnard tells Vegetarian Times. “[P]eople of both genders and all ages burn calories more efficiently and are able to maintain or reach a healthy weight when eating a diet based on vegetables, fruits, whole grains and beans.”