A new study has found that eating spinach, broccoli and cabbage could lower the risk of type 2 diabetes . The research, by a team from the University of Leicester, revealed that a diet that contained a lot of leafy green vegetables was associated with a 14 per cent reduced risk of developing the metabolic condition. It was already known that a diet with a high level of fruit and vegetables can lower the risk of cancer and heart disease, but it was not known if it also had a beneficial effect on diabetes .
The team analysed six separate research studies involving more than 220,000 people, finding that consuming 1.15 servings of leafy green vegetables each day resulted in a 14 per cent lowered risk of type 2 diabetes compared with those who ate less than half a serving each day.
Patrice Carter, lead author of the study, published in the British Medical Journal, commented “Results from our meta-analysis support recommendations to promote the consumption of green leafy vegetables in the diet for reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes. The results support the growing body of evidence that lifestyle modification is an important factor in the prevention of type 2 diabetes.”
So far no significant link has been found that connects overall consumption of fruit and vegetables with diabetes, although it seems eating more portions is beneficial.
Iain Framen, Director of Research at the charity Diabetes UK, said: “We already know that the health benefits of eating vegetables are far-reaching but this is the first time that there has been a suggested link specifically between green, leafy vegetables and a reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes. However, because of the relatively limited number of studies collated in this analysis it is too early to isolate green leafy vegetables and present them alone as a method to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.”
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