THURSDAY June 26, 2008 (foodconsumer.org) -- Eating lots of green leafy vegetables daily may help reduce the risk of developing diabetes, according to a study published on April 4, 2008 in the Diabetes Care Publish Ahead of Print service.The study, by Lydia A. Bazzano and colleagues from Tulane University and other organizations, showed that every additional serving of green leafy vegetables each day was associated with a 9 percent reduction in diabetes risk.The study also found that three servings per day of whole fruit was also associated with an 18 percent reduction.However, an increase of 3 servings per day in total fruit and vegetable consumption was not linked with development of diabetes.The bad news is that fruit juice consumption was found to be associated with an 18 percent increase in the risk of diabetes.The study involved a total of 71,346 female nurses ages 38 to 63 years who were free from cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes in 1984.For the study, the researchers followed the participants for a period of 18 years, surveying their dietary habits every 4 years.During the follow-up, 4,529 cases of diabetes were diagnosed and recorded. The cumulative incidence of diabetes in the study population was 7.4 percent.The researchers concluded "Consumption of green leafy vegetables and fruit was associated with a lower hazard of DM, whereas consumption of fruit juices may be associated with an increased hazard among women."Diabetes afflicts an estimated 24 million people in the United States.A recent study has suggested that pure fructose consumption may boost the risk of diabetes because it was associated with increased insulin resistance, possibly explaining why consumption of fruit juice, high in fructose, was associated with a higher risk of diabetes.The current study was not a trial, meaning that the causal relationship between consumption of fruit and vegetables and the risk of diabetes was not established.A scientist affiliated with foodconsumer.org suggested that people should not count on using some foods to prevent diabetes. Instead, they need to avoid certain foods to prevent diabetes.For one thing, it has already been made clear that trans fat as well as saturated fat may be implicated in the development of diabetes.

By David Liu, Ph.D., and edited by Heather Kelley.
Jun 26, 2008 - 4:28:19 PM