Whole fruit consumption is shown to lower risk of developing diabetes by nearly 25 percent

Sunday, September 22, 2013 by: John Phillip
Tags: whole fruits, diabetes, reduced risk

(NaturalNews) The startling statistics show that close to 30 million men, women and children currently suffer the devastating effects of a diabetes diagnosis, as the disease affects nearly ten percent of the US population. Even more sobering, health professionals say the number of pre-diabetic and undiagnosed cases could bring this total figure closer to one in five Americans. Truly a silent killer, many unsuspecting people will suffer the life-threatening effects of diabetic complications including neuropathy, kidney failure, blindness and a dramatically increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease and sudden death from a heart attack.

A research study team from the Harvard School of Public Health has published the result of their work in the British Medical Journal that demonstrates how eating more whole fruits, particularly blueberries, grapes and apples, was significantly associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes. The results stand in stark contrast to the popular belief that drinking fruit juices is healthy, as the study determined that these sugar-laden drinks increase risk of diabetes. This is the first study to examine consumption of individual whole fruits and disease risk.

Whole fruit sugars are bound to fiber to prevent glucose surges leading to diabetes risk

The study analyzed 187,382 men and women participants who were free of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer at the outset of the study. The researchers used dietary questionnaires every four years to determine overall fruit and fruit juice consumption and frequency. Specifically, the team focused on consumption of ten fruits to garner their results and included grapes or raisins; peaches, plums, or apricots; prunes; bananas; cantaloupe; apples or pears; oranges; grapefruit; strawberries; and blueberries. They also looked at consumption of apple, orange, grapefruit and other fruit juices.

Lead study author Dr. Qi Sun noted, "While fruits are recommended as a measure for diabetes prevention, previous studies have found mixed results for total fruit consumption. Our findings provide novel evidence suggesting that certain fruits may be especially beneficial for lowering diabetes risk." The scientists determined that people who ate at least two servings each week of certain whole fruits, particularly blueberries, grapes and apples, reduced their risk for type 2 diabetes by as much as 23 percent in comparison to those who ate less than one serving per month.

The study also determined that consuming one or more servings of fruit juice each day increased the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by as much as 21 percent. Additionally, researchers found that swapping three servings of juice per week for whole fruits resulted in a 7 percent reduction in diabetes risk. The authors of this study concluded, "Our data further endorse current recommendations on increasing whole fruits, but not fruit juice, as a measure for diabetes prevention... and our novel findings may help refine this recommendation to facilitate diabetes prevention."

Health-minded individuals concerned about excess sugar from eating fruits can now safely add three to five servings of whole fruits weekly to lower the risk of developing diabetes and benefit from a healthy dose of natural antioxidants to further prevent chronic disease.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com

http://www.sciencedaily.com

About the author:
John Phillip is a Certified Nutritional Consultant and Health Researcher and Author who writes regularly on the cutting edge use of diet, lifestyle modifications and targeted supplementation to enhance and improve the quality and length of life. John is the author of 'Your Healthy Weight Loss Plan', a comprehensive EBook explaining how to use Diet, Exercise, Mind and Targeted Supplementation to achieve your weight loss goal. Visit My Optimal Health Resource to continue reading the latest health news updates, and to download your copy of 'Your Healthy Weight Loss Plan'.