Scientists have found out which diet reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes

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Scientists from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (USA) conducted a study showing that eating healthy plant-based foods is associated with a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes (non-insulin-dependent) in generally healthy people. Scientists were interested in the profiles of metabolites (a substance used or produced as a result of chemical processes in the body) associated with different diets.

The results of the study were published in the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes Diabetologia. The team analyzed data from three studies involving 10,684 people. The average age of the participants was 54 years. They filled out questionnaires. The researchers evaluated three parameters:

• general plant-based diet index;
• healthy plant-based diet index;
• sick plant-based diet.

The indices were based on the analysis of the consumption of 18 groups of basic food products. These included healthy plant foods (whole grains, fruits and vegetables, nuts and legumes, vegetable oils, tea and coffee), unhealthy plant foods (refined grains, potatoes, fruit juices and sweetened beverages, plant-based desserts), animal products (meat and poultry, dairy, fish and seafood).

Researchers studied blood samples taken since the late 1980s in early stage studies to create estimates of metabolite profiles. All cases of type 2 diabetes during the observation period were also recorded.

As a result, it turned out that those who developed diabetes consumed less healthy plant-based food. They had a higher average body mass index, and they were more likely to have high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol.

The data showed that plant-based diets were associated with unique multimetabolite profiles. Furthermore, metabolite profile scores for both the total plant-based diet and the healthy plant-based diet were inversely related to the incidence of non-insulin-dependent diabetes in a normally healthy population, independent of body mass index and other risk factors. “Our results confirm the beneficial role of a healthy plant-based diet in the prevention of diabetes,” the authors of the study conclude.