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High intake of green leafy vegetables lowers Type 2 diabetes risk

By jeremyc | August 20, 2010

Source: MedWire News

A high consumption of green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, kale, and lettuce, significantly reduces the risk for developing Type 2 diabetes, results from a systematic review and meta-analysis suggest.

“The findings add to the growing body of evidence that lifestyle is key for the prevention of Type 2 diabetes,” lead study author Patrice Carter (University of Leicester, UK) told MedWire News.

In total, six studies involving a total of 223,512 participants were included in the analysis. The follow-up period for the studies ranged from 4.6 to 23 years.

Prospective cohort studies that included a measure of intake of fruits, vegetables, or a combination of the two and an assessment of Type 2 diabetes risk were considered suitable for the analysis. Of the six studies identified, four also provided information on the intake of green leafy vegetables.

Pooled estimates showed that eating 1.35 (highest intake) compared with 0.20 (lowest intake) servings of green leafy vegetables per day was associated with a significant 14% reduction in risk for Type 2 diabetes.

Pooled estimates of highest versus lowest intake of fruit, vegetables, or both, did not show a significant reduction in risk for Type 2 diabetes, but there was a nonsignificant trend for improvement.

Carter emphasized that “this should not be ignored and shows more research would be beneficial.”

When asked about possible reasons for the observed risk reduction, Carter commented: “Green leafy vegetables have a number of potential benefits for reducing diabetes risk, they are high in antioxidants and magnesium. They also contain fatty acids which may increase insulin sensitivity of cells.

“Further research is needed to determine why green leafy vegetables are so important.”

The research is published in the British Medical Journal.

Topics: | Diabetes |

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