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Greater fruit and vegetable intake associated with reduced risk for type 2 diabetes
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Diets characterized by a greater number of vegetables and a greater variety of fruit and vegetable consumption may result in a reduced risk for type 2 diabetes, according to study results from Cambridge, United Kingdom,
Andrew J. Cooper, MPhil, of the Epidemiology Unit of the Institute of Metabolic Science at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, and colleagues examined the 11-year incidence of type 2 diabetes as it relates to quantity and variety of fruit, vegetable and combined fruit and vegetable intake in 3,704 participants (n=653 diabetes cases).
The participants were men and women, predominantly of European-Caucasian origin (99.1%) and aged 40 to 79 years, within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition-Norfolk study, who completed 7-day food diaries.
The food diaries contained food portion photographs, detailed instructions on how to record and describe preparation methods and quantities of food eaten at main meals, snacks and between meals, the researchers wrote. Potatoes and fruit and vegetable juices were not included in the diet. The food diaries were validated with weighed food records, 24-hour urine collections and blood biomarkers, they wrote.
Using multivariate Cox regression, the researchers estimated the association between quantity and variety of fruit, vegetable and combined fruit and vegetable (F&V) intake and risk for diabetes. Intake was defined in three tertiles: low, medium and high. The lowest tertile was used as the reference category.
Researchers concluded that a greater quantity of combined F&V intake was associated with a 21% lower risk for type 2 diabetes (HR=0.79; 95% CI, 0.62-1.00) compared with extreme tertiles, in an adjusted analysis including variety. In addition, the researchers found that the quantity of vegetable intake (HR=0.76; 95% CI, 0.60-0.97), but not fruit, was inversely associated with type 2 diabetes in an adjusted analysis.
A greater variety in fruit (HR=0.7; 95% CI, 0.53-0.91), vegetable (HR=0.77; 95% CI, 0.61-0.98) and combined F&V (HR=0.61; 95% CI, 0.48-0.78) consumption was associated with a lower risk for type 2 diabetes.
“Our current findings suggest that quantity (at least 3.5 portions of F&V per day) and variety (at least 12 different F&V items per week) in F&V intake are both inversely and independently associated with [type 2 diabetes],” the researchers wrote.
Future studies are required to investigate the effects that may be attributed to consuming bioactive phytochemicals contained in fruits and vegetables.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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