Health Information - Modest Increase in Diabetes Risk Linked to Fruit Juice

Modest Increase in Diabetes Risk Linked to Fruit Juice

A new study recommends that women who want to avoid type 2 Diabetes should eat more green leafy vegetables and whole fruits, but may need to refrain from fruit juice intake.

According to the Nurses’ Health Study the risk of developing type 2 diabetes among 71, 346 women over an 18-year follow-up period, was decreased by consuming extra three servings of whole fruit everyday, or an additional serving of spinach, kale or other green leafy vegetable.

Dr. Lydia Bazzano of Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, informed Reuters Health that the decrease was modest. She further stated that “it’s a tool in the prevention strategy.”

Bazzano and fellow researchers examined data on the diets of the women who participated in the Nurses’ Health Study. Out of the total population studied, 4,529 developed type 2 diabetes during the follow-up period. The subjects were divided into five groups according to fruit and vegetable consumption, and grouped them based on the intake of fruit juice as well.

The study showed an 18 percent decrease in the risk of type 2 diabetes with additional three servings of whole fruit a day, while a 9 percent risk reduction was noted with an extra daily serving of green leafy vegetables. On the other hand, an extra serving of fruit juice a day raised the chances of developing type 2 diabetes by 18 percent.

Although a replication of the study needs to be conducted, Bazzano said that there are logical means by which fruit juice could cause an increase in diabetes risk because it is loaded with sugar and comes in a liquid form which is readily absorbed.

The research team concludes that the results of their study indicate a need to implement precautionary measures regarding efforts of replacing some beverages with fruit juice as a way of providing healthier choices. Similar caution should likewise be observed with the recommended 100 percent fruit juice currently stated in the national dietary guidelines as a substitute for a fruit serving.