What kind of diet reduces risk of developing type 2 diabetes?

Eating lots of plant foods reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, scientists from Harvard Medical School said.

The results of a new study are published in the journal Diabetologia.

The scientists analyzed blood plasma samples and diets of 10,684 participants. As it turned out, people who were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at the time of the experiment consumed much less healthy plant foods compared to participants who did not develop diabetes.

In addition, the former group had a higher average body mass index, tended to have high blood pressure and cholesterol levels, a family history of diabetes, and did less physical activity.

Researchers also found that when levels of some metabolites (trigonellin, hippuric acid, isoleucine, triacylglycerols) were adjusted, the association between type 2 diabetes and a plant-based diet became weaker. According to experts, this may indicate that metabolites play a key role in this interaction. For example, trigonellin, which is found in coffee, has shown beneficial effects on insulin resistance in animal studies.

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