14 DAY TRIAL // A new research published on bmj.com yesterday, found that eating more green leafy vegetables can reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Still study leader Patrice Carter, at the University of Leicester, and his colleagues say that further research is needed to fully understand the potential benefits of green leafy vegetables.
The scientists have reviewed six studies on over 220,000 participants, focusing on the relationship between type 2 diabetes and fruit and vegetable consumption.
They concluded that eating one and a half extra servings of green leafy vegetables a day decreases the risk of type 2 diabetes by 14%, but that eating more fruit and vegetables combined does not significantly influences the risk.
As the number of the considered studies was relatively small, the beneficial affects of fruits and vegetables as a whole for type 2 diabetes prevention might have been too vague.
The possible explanations that the authors gave were that fruit and vegetables can prevent chronic diseases thanks to their antioxidant content, and green leafy veggies such as spinach could help reduce type 2 diabetes risk because of their high magnesium content.
But they also say that according to their results, it is food that has a beneficial effect on health rather than isolated components like antioxidants, as “results from several supplement trials have produced disappointing results for prevention of disease.”
Overall, the link between type 2 diabetes and fruit and vegetable intake remains unclear for the authors of the study, who nevertheless recommend personalized advice for encouraging individuals to eat more green leafy vegetables.
Scientists note that previous surveys found that in 2002, 86% of British adults consumed less than the recommended five fruits and vegetables a day, and 62% had less than three portions.
The inappropriate fruit and vegetables consumption might have been the cause for the 2.6 million deaths worldwide in 2000, says the same study.