Eating more fruit reduces diabetes risk

A new study from the United States has highlighted how people who eat more fruits such as blueberries, apples and pears could help lower their risk of developing type 2 diabetes due to the flavonoids present in them.
The long-term study, which was funded by the US National Institutes of Health, monitored the eating habits of around 200,000 adults for as long as 24 years, with participants having to regularly respond to questionnaires about their frequency of eating different types of foods and beverages.
It was found that those who ate the most blueberries had a 23 per cent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to people who ate no blueberries, while those who ate five or more apples per week had a 23 per cent lower risk compared to people who ate no apples at all.
Although eating such fruits don’t actually prevent diabetes, the research, carried out at Harvard School of Public Health and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, reinforces previous studies into the health benefits of flavonoid-rich foods, which also includes vegetables and grains.
An Pan said that for “People who ate a higher amount of blueberries or apples, they tended to have a low risk of type 2 diabetes.”