title: Review of antidiabetic fruits, vegetables, beverages, oils and spices commonly consumed in the diet.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Type 2 diabetes is the most common type of diabetes and its prevalence is rapidly increasing throughout the world. Modifications of lifestyle such as suitable diet and exercise programs along with pharmacotherapy and education of patients are beneficial therapies for patients with type 2 diabetes. The ethnopharmacological use of herbal medicines, many of them part of our diet as spices, vegetables and fruits, has been developed for the treatment of diabetes due to inexpensiveness, easy availability and few side effects.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Our aim is to present a review for researchers who are interested in the biologically active dietary plants traditionally utilized in the treatment of diabetes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Information was obtained from a literature search of electronic databases such as Google Scholar, Pubmed, Sci Finder and Cochrane. Common and scientific name of the fruits, vegetables, beverages, oils and spices and the words 'antidiabetic', 'hypoglycemic', 'anti-hyperglycemic', 'type 2 diabetes' were used as keywords for search.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Certain fruits and vegetables are functional foods and their consumption reduces the incidence of type 2 diabetes. Hypoglycemic effects of fruits and vegetables may be due to their inducing nature on pancreatic β-cells for insulin secretion, or bioactive compounds such as flavonoids, alkaloids and anthocyanins, which act as insulin-like molecules or insulin secretagogues.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This write-up covers hypoglycemic, anti-hyperglycemic and anti-diabetic activities of some dietary fruits, vegetables, beverages, oils and spices and their active hypoglycemic constituents. Including such plant species in the diet might improve management of type 2 diabetes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 2, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Maliheh Najari
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Beidokhti
authors.affiliation: Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 2, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark. Electronic address: anna.jager@sund.ku.dk.
authors.forename: Anna K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Jäger
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001628:Beverages; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000178:diet therapy*; D004032:Diet; D005638:Fruit; D055951:Functional Food; D006801:Humans; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D010938:Plant Oils; D017365:Spices; D014675:Vegetables
chemical_list: D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D010938:Plant Oils
keywords: Anti-hyperglycemic; Antidiabetic; Hypoglycemic; Type 2 diabetes; β-cell