Variety of fruits, vegetables linked to lower diabetes risk

(HealthDay) -- Eating a greater quantity of vegetables and a greater variety of fruits and vegetables (F&V) correlates with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D), according to a study published online April 3 in Diabetes Care.

Andrew J. Cooper, M.Phil., of Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, U.K., and colleagues investigated the 11-year incidence of T2D in correlation with F&V intake in 3,704 participants (653 diabetes cases) nested within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition-Norfolk study. The variety of F&V consumed was derived from the total number of different items consumed, recorded in a seven-day prospective food diary.

When comparing extreme tertiles, the researchers found that consumption of a greater quantity of F&V correlated with a lower risk of T2D (hazard ratio [HR], 0.79). In adjusted analyses, the quantity of vegetable intake, but not fruit intake, was inversely associated with T2D (HR, 0.76). Greater variety in fruit, vegetable, and combined F&V intake correlated with a reduced risk of T2D (HRs, 0.70, 0.77, and 0.61, respectively), when comparing extreme tertiles.

"These findings suggest that a diet characterized by a greater quantity of vegetables and a greater variety of both F&V intake is associated with a reduced risk of T2D," the authors write.

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