Taylor & Francis
A diet rich in vegetables and fruit may reduce the risk of type
2 diabetes, according to research published in the International Journal of
Food Sciences and Nutrition.
The study identified a combination of foods that
reduce biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress, known risk factors for
type 2 diabetes.
This dietary pattern, high in vegetables and fruit, and low in
chips, sugar, and white bread, is also associated with reduced prevalence of
type 2 diabetes.
Louise McGeoghegan and colleagues from the Institute of Health and Society and Human Nutrition Research Centre, Newcastle University analysed over 1,500 adult survey members from years one to four of the cross-sectional National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) Rolling Programme.
The NDNS is an
annual survey that runs in the United Kingdom and which was designed to assess
the food consumption and nutritional status of the British population.
In the
new published article, the authors analysed data on two blood biomarkers
measured in the survey members: serum C-reactive protein to assess
inflammation, and plasma carotenoid to evaluate oxidative stress.
Using these
biomarkers, they derived a dietary pattern that was linked to lower
inflammation and higher anti-oxidant status, which was in turn found to be
related to lower prevalence of type 2 diabetes. Interestingly, the percentage
of energy intake from protein was higher in this pattern, although the authors
caution that further research is needed to clarify the type of protein consumed
and whether it was of plant or animal origin.
"This research points towards the importance of improving
our understanding of the relation between diet as a whole and chronic disease
outcomes such as type 2 diabetes," the authors say, adding, "Though
we know that individual foods may reduce inflammation and oxidative stress, we
know little of how foods interact together and in relation to nutrients to
achieve a desired health outcome.
"The NDNS has been a valuable survey in
advancing our understanding of how diet impacts our health, not only because of
the comprehensive dietary information collected within this survey that enables
us to see real-life examples of diets within the UK, but more so because it
provides us with a detailed insight into specific health biomarkers.
"If such
measures are to be continued in future, we will be able to understand even more
how the diet of people with undiagnosed or diagnosed diabetes differs from
people who do not have diabetes. We would like to thank Diabetes UK for funding
the initial analysis of blood glucose which gave us this rare opportunity to
study the relationship between diet and type 2 diabetes prevalence in the
United Kingdom."
