Fruit and vegetable intake and incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus: systematic review and meta-analysis

• Published in: BMJ Vol. 341; no. 7772; p. 543
• Main Authors: Carter, Patrice, Gray, Laura J, Troughton, Jacqui, Khunti, Kamlesh, Davies, Melanie J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England British Medical Journal Publishing Group 11.09.2010; British Medical Association; BMJ Publishing Group LTD; BMJ Publishing Group Ltd
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Body mass index; Cardiovascular disease; Chronic illnesses; Confidence intervals; Data processing; Diabetes; Diabetes mellitus; Diabetes mellitus (non-insulin dependent); Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - epidemiology; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - prevention & control; Diet; Epidemiologic Methods; Epidemiologic Studies; Epidemiology; Evidence-based medicine; Female; Fruit; Fruits; Health risk assessment; Humans; Internet; Leafy vegetables; Male; Meta-analysis; Metabolic Disorders; Middle Aged; Nursing; Nutrition research; Prospective Studies; Publication Bias; Ratios; Risk factors; Subject heading schemes; Systematic review; Type 2 diabetes mellitus; Vegetables; Womens health; China
• ISSN: 0959-8138; 1756-1833; 1468-5833; 1756-1833
• DOI: 10.1136/bmj.c4229

Objective To investigate the independent effects of intake of fruit and vegetables on incidence of type 2 diabetes.Design Systematic review and meta-analysis.Data sources Medline, Embase, CINAHL, British Nursing Index (BNI), and the Cochrane library were searched for medical subject headings and keywords on diabetes, prediabetes, fruit, and vegetables. Expert opinions were sought and reference lists of relevant articles checked.Study selection Prospective cohort studies with an independent measure of intake of fruit, vegetables, or fruit and vegetables and data on incidence of type 2 diabetes.Results Six studies met the inclusion criteria; four of these studies also provided separate information on the consumption of green leafy vegetables. Summary estimates showed that greater intake of green leafy vegetables was associated with a 14% (hazard ratio 0.86, 95% confidence interval 0.77 to 0.97) reduction in risk of type 2 diabetes (P=0.01). The summary estimates showed no significant benefits of increasing the consumption of vegetables, fruit, or fruit and vegetables combined.Conclusion Increasing daily intake of green leafy vegetables could significantly reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and should be investigated further.