Generous intake of fruits may protect individuals against type 2 diabetes mellitus.
This study investigated the effect of regular consumption of fruits on type 2 diabetes mellitus risk. Using self-reported dietary questionnaires, researchers collated and analyzed data on the fruit intakes of 187,382 chronic disease-free men and women drawn from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study and Nurses’ Health Study cohorts. The type 2 diabetes hazard ratios of all the participants in this study were also determined.
Researchers discovered that subjects who frequently ate 3 servings per week of fruits, such as orange, banana, blueberry, apricot, peach, plum, strawberry, pear, grapefruit, apple, grape, raisin, grape, cantaloupe, and prune, had low chances of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus. In contrast, high consumption of processed fruit juices was found to increase type 2 diabetes development risk. The results of this study reveal that high type 2 diabetes risk is associated with increased intake of processed fruit juices.