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People who eat a healthy diet including whole fruits may be less likely to develop diabetes

Research links fruit but not fruit juice to lower type 2 diabetes risk

Date:
June 2, 2021
Source:
The Endocrine Society
Summary:
A new study finds people who consume two servings of fruit per day have 36% lower odds of developing type 2 diabetes than those who consume less than half a serving.
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A new study finds people who consume two servings of fruit per day have 36 percent lower odds of developing type 2 diabetes than those who consume less than half a serving. The research was published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

Diabetes is a disease where people have too much sugar in their bloodstream, and it is a huge public health burden. Approximately 463 million adults worldwide were living with diabetes in 2019, and by 2045 this number is expected to rise to 700 million. An estimated 374 million people are at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the disease. A healthy diet and lifestyle can play a major role in lowering a person's diabetes risk.

"We found people who consumed around 2 servings of fruit per day had a 36 percent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes over the next five years than those who consumed less than half a serving of fruit per day," said study author Nicola Bondonno, Ph.D., of Edith Cowan University's Institute for Nutrition Research in Perth, Australia. "We did not see the same patterns for fruit juice. These findings indicate that a healthy diet and lifestyle which includes the consumption of whole fruits is a great strategy to lower your diabetes risk."

The researchers studied data from 7,675 participants from the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute's Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study who provided information on their fruit and fruit juice intake through a food frequency questionnaire. They found participants who ate more whole fruits had 36 percent lower odds of having diabetes at five years. The researchers found an association between fruit intake and markers of insulin sensitivity, meaning that people who consumed more fruit had to produce less insulin to lower their blood glucose levels.

"This is important because high levels of circulating insulin (hyperinsulinemia) can damage blood vessels and are related not only to diabetes, but also to high blood pressure, obesity and heart disease," Bondonno said.


Story Source:

Materials provided by The Endocrine Society. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. Nicola P Bondonno, Raymond J Davey, Kevin Murray, Simone Radavelli-Bagatini, Catherine P Bondonno, Lauren C Blekkenhorst, Marc Sim, Dianna J Magliano, Robin M Daly, Jonathan E Shaw, Joshua R Lewis, Jonathan M Hodgson. Associations between fruit intake and risk of diabetes in the AusDiab cohort. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 2021; DOI: 10.1210/clinem/dgab335

Cite This Page:

The Endocrine Society. "People who eat a healthy diet including whole fruits may be less likely to develop diabetes." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 2 June 2021. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/06/210602091404.htm>.
The Endocrine Society. (2021, June 2). People who eat a healthy diet including whole fruits may be less likely to develop diabetes. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 28, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/06/210602091404.htm
The Endocrine Society. "People who eat a healthy diet including whole fruits may be less likely to develop diabetes." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/06/210602091404.htm (accessed March 28, 2024).

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