Dietary flavonoids intake and risk of type 2 diabetes: A meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies

• Published in: Clinical nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland) Vol. 33; no. 1; pp. 59 - 63
• Main Authors: Liu, Yu-Jian, Zhan, Jian, Liu, Xiao-Li, Wang, Ying, Ji, Jie, He, Qi-Qiang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.02.2014; Elsevier
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; cardioprotective effect; cohort studies; confidence interval; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - epidemiology; Diabetes risk; Diabetes. Impaired glucose tolerance; Diet; elderly; Endocrine pancreas. Apud cells (diseases); Endocrinopathies; Etiopathogenesis. Screening. Investigations. Target tissue resistance; Feeding. Feeding behavior; Flavonoids; Flavonoids - administration & dosage; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gastroenterology and Hepatology; Humans; Medical sciences; Meta-analysis; noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus; Observational Studies as Topic; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; relative risk; Risk Factors; risk reduction; Sensitivity and Specificity; United States; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; United States; CVD; RR; FFQ; Flavonoids; RCT; OR; HR; Diabetes risk; Meta-analysis; cardiovascular disease; food frequency questionnaires; odds radios; randomized clinical trial; relative risk; hazard; Endocrinopathy; Type 2 diabetes; Metabolic diseases; Risk; Antioxidant; Flavonoid; Metaanalysis; Prospective; Polyphenol; Food intake; Cohort study; Risk factor; Phenols
• ISSN: 0261-5614; 1532-1983; 1532-1983
• DOI: 10.1016/j.clnu.2013.03.011

Flavonoids may have cardioprotective effects, but epidemiological evidence on the relationship of dietary flavonoids with diabetes has not been systematically assessed. To examine the association between dietary flavonoids and type 2 diabetes, we performed a meta-analysis on this topic. We searched PubMed through March 2013 for relevant cohort studies that assessed total flavonoids and type 2 diabetes risks. A fixed-effect model was used to calculate the summary risk estimates. Four articles consisting of 6 prospective cohorts that involved 18,146 cases and 284,806 participants were identified. The summary relative risk (RR) of type 2 diabetes for the highest intake of total flavonoids compared with the lowest was 0.91 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.87–0.96). Furthermore, an increase in the total flavonoids intake of 500mg/d was associated with a significant risk reduction of 5% (RR=0.95, 95% CI: 0.91–0.98). In subgroup analyses, the observed beneficial effects were observed in US population, in those mean age>40 years old people and in studies ≥20 years in duration. The present meta-analysis indicates that consumption of dietary total flavonoids is associated with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes.