Type 2 diabetes is the typical adult diabetes, it causes an increase in blood glucose levels due to a reduced production of insulin or to a condition in which the insulin produced does not act effectively. The number of people who have to deal with this type of diabetes is growing all over the world and this is why it is important to counteract it, with lifestyle and also choices at the table. In particular, even a small increase in foods considered protective, such as fruit, vegetables and whole grains, seems to help prevent type two diabetes, as shown by two very recent scientific studies both published in the journal The BMJ. The first study dealt with the protective role of fruit and vegetables and was performed by a European team from the Universities of Cambridge and Utrecht in collaboration with Spanish, Italian, Danish and Swedish universities (Zheng et al, 2020). The second study, on the other hand, analyzed the action of whole grains and was carried out by an American team from the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston (Hu et al, 2020).
The amounts of vitamin C and carotenoids in the blood have been considered a reliable indicator of fruit and vegetable intake. What the researchers observed was that out of about 20,000 people studied, those who had higher values ??of vitamin C and carotenoids, namely those who ate more fruits and vegetables, also had a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. In particular, those who consumed the highest amount of fruit and vegetables had, compared to those who consumed the least quantity of these foods, a 50% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Not only that, the researchers were also able to calculate that at each 66-gram increase in fruit and vegetables taken a day there was a 25% reduction in the risk of developing diabetes. The second study analyzed instead the habits of nearly 200,000 people. It was found that those who consumed the largest amount of whole grains, at least one or two portions a day, also in the form of breakfast cereals, oats, whole wheat bread, brown rice, had a 29% lower risk of developing type diabetes 2 compared to those who consumed the whole grain cereals in very small quantities, less than a portion per month.
Studies show that even small changes in lifestyle and nutrition can give an important contribution to the fight against type 2 diabetes.
