Fruit and vegetable intake and incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus: systematic review and meta-analysis.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the independent effects of intake of fruit and vegetables on incidence of type 2 diabetes.


METHODS
Systematic review and meta-analysis.


METHODS
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.


METHODS
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.


CONCLUSIONS
Increasing daily intake of green leafy vegetables could significantly reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and should be investigated further.
Carter
Patrice
P
Diabetes Research, Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 5WW. pc154@le.ac.uk
Gray
Laura J
LJ
Troughton
Jacqui
J
Khunti
Kamlesh
K
Davies
Melanie J
MJ
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004032:Diet; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D005638:Fruit; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D017594:Publication Bias; D014675:Vegetables