Clinical therapeutics have come along way for both, but most medical experts still privilege the preemptive nature of dietary factors with respect to the development of type 2 diabetes.
According to a new study published in the BMJ journal habitually consuming fruit and vegetables can reduce one’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes by as much as 50%.
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In an effort to support their hypothesis, the authors recruited 9,754 participants with incident type 2 diabetes, alongside a subcohort comprised of 13 662 individuals from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort of 340 234 participants: EPIC-InterAct case-cohort study over the course of ten years.
Subsequent blood work indicated a strong link between each participants’ risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and their blood levels of vitamin C and carotenoids (pigments found in colorful vegetables, such as carrots and tomatoes).
High concentrations of vitamin C and carotenoids are instructive biomarkers of the amount of fruit and vegetables a person regularly consumes.
More specifically, every 66 gram (2.3 ounces) increase in fruit and vegetable consumption correlated with a 25% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
The American Diabetes Association, a person with type 2 diabetes should adhere to a diet that resembles a vegetarian or a vegan diet, the Mediterranean diet has also been studied to mitigate symptoms accredited with the metabolic disorder.
A diet rich in fruits and vegetables like the blue zone or the Mediterranean Diet provides folate, vitamin C and potassium, each of these contributes in their own way to metabolic regulation in the human body.
“Guidelines on what to eat for people with type 2 diabetes include eating low glycemic load carbohydrates, primarily from vegetables, and consuming fats and proteins mostly from plant sources, Erica Oberg, ND, MPH explained. “Refined sugars, processed carbohydrates, trans fats, high-fat animal products, high-fat dairy products, high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, and any highly processed food.”