Eating more fruits and vegetables has been associated with a reduced risk of death from obesity, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases. However, few studies have focused on the relationship between fruit and vegetable consumption and the risk of diabetes, or the health effects of different types of fruits and vegetables. In the July issue of Diabetes Care, scientists led by researchers from the Tulane University School of Public Health reported that women who consume more green leafy vegetables and fruit had a lower risk for type 2 diabetes.

This study included 71.346 female nurses aged 38 to 83 who did not have cardiovascular disease, cancer, or diabetes at the time of enrollment in the study in 1984. Dietary information was collected from these participants for a follow-up period of 18 years. The researchers found that an increase in whole fruit intake of 3 servings per day was associated with a lower risk for type 2 diabetes. Increasing consumption of green leafy vegetables by 1 serving per day was also linked to a lower diabetes risk. On the other hand, women who drank more fruit juices seemed to have an increased risk for type 2 diabetes (see our News article on fructose intake, posted July 16, 2008).

The results of this study suggest that a serving of fruit juice may not be equivalent to a serving of whole fruit. Although this reported association between increased fruit and vegetable consumption and decreased diabetes risk is not as strong as the association with reduced heart disease risk, it may still be significant if it is combined with a reduction in consumption of other foods, such as white potatoes and refined grains, which have been shown to increase the risk of diabetes.