Fruits that prevent diabetes

Friday August 30th, 2013

Eating fruit but not drinking fruit juice helps to stave off diabetes, researchers report today.

Fruit juice drinkers can increase their risk of developing the type 2 version of the disease, according to a major study reported in the British Medical Journal.

Researchers said whole fruits such as blueberries, grapes and apples had the most impact.

Just two apples a week were linked to a 23% reduction in risk, researchers said.

But regular drinkers of fruit juice faced a 21% increased risk.

The researchers say the high fibre content of whole fruit, together with some powerful chemicals, may counteract the impact of the sugars that make it sweet.

The findings come from a study of 187,000 health professionals signed up to a major US research project.

Researcher Isao Muraki, of the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, said: "Our data further endorse current recommendations on increasing whole fruits, but not fruit juice, as a measure for diabetes prevention.

"And our novel findings may help refine this recommendation to facilitate diabetes prevention."

BMJ 30 August 2013 [abstract]

Tags: Diabetes | Diet & Food | North America

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