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Last Updated: Apr 20, 2011 - 9:38:09 AM |
SUNDAY May 31, 2008 (foodconsumer.org) -- Mediterranean diet rich in fruits and vegetables not only benefits heart health, but also appears to help prevent type 2 diabetes, according to a new Spanish study released Friday in the British Medical Journal.
The study showed people who closely followed a Mediterranean diet were 83 percent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who did not.
Mediterranean diet emphasizes vegetables, fruits, olive oil, nuts, cereals, legumes and fish, and deemphasizes meat and dairy products.
Type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the disease, affects an estimated 20 million Americans. In patients with this type of diabetes, the pancreas can usually produce enough insulin, but for unknown reasons the body can't use the insulin effectively, a condition known as insulin resistance.
The study involved 13,000 former students at the University of Navarra in Spain at the average age of 38 who had no history of diabetes. Researchers surveyed the participants for their dietary habits and health for a period of four years.
Those who stuck closely to a Mediterranean diet reduced their risk by 83 percent. More significantly, those who closely followed the diet were supposed to have a high risk of diabetes because they tended to have risk factors such as being older, having a family history of diabetes and being an ex-smoker, according to the researchers.
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