News Release 2-Jun-2021

Research has found eating at least two serves of fruit daily has been linked with 36% lower odds of developing type 2 diabetes

Edith Cowan University

Research News

Eating at least two serves of fruit daily has been linked with 36 percent lower odds of developing type 2 diabetes, a new Edith Cowan University (ECU) study has found.

The study, published today in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, revealed that people who ate at least two serves of fruit per day had higher measures of insulin sensitivity than those who ate less than half a serve.

Type 2 diabetes is a growing public health concern with an estimated 451 million people worldwide living with the condition. A further 374 million people are at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

The study’s lead author, Dr Nicola Bondonno from ECU’s Institute for Nutrition Research, said the findings offer fresh evidence for the health benefits of fruit.

“We found an association between fruit intake and markers of insulin sensitivity, suggesting that people who consumed more fruit had to produce less insulin to lower their blood glucose levels,” said Dr Bondonno.

“This is important because high levels of circulating insulin (hyperinsulinemia) can damage blood vessels and are related not only to diabetes, but also to high blood pressure, obesity, and heart disease.

“A healthy diet and lifestyle, which includes the consumption of whole fruits, is a great strategy to lower your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.”

Fresh is best

The study examined data from 7,675 Australians participating in the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute’s AusDiab Study and assessed fruit and fruit juice intake and the prevalence of diabetes after five years.

Dr Bondonno said they did not observe the same beneficial relationship for fruit juice.

“Higher insulin sensitivity and a lower risk of diabetes was only observed for people who consumed whole fruit, not fruit juice,” she said.

“This is likely because juice tends to be much higher in sugar and lower in fibre.”

Dr Bondonno said that it’s still unclear exactly how fruit contributes to insulin sensitivity, but it is likely to be multifaceted.

“As well as being high in vitamins and minerals, fruits are a great source of phytochemicals which may increase insulin sensitivity, and fibre which helps regulate the release of sugar into the blood and also helps people feel fuller for longer,” she said.

“Furthermore, most fruits typically have a low glycaemic index, which means the fruit’s sugar is digested and absorbed into the body more slowly.”

The study builds on Dr Bondonno’s research into the health benefits of fruit and vegetables, particularly those that contain a key nutrient known as flavonoids. The research is part of ECU’s Institute of Nutrition Research.

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‘Associations between fruit intake and risk of diabetes in the AusDiab cohort’ was published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

News Release 2-Jun-2021

People who eat a healthy diet including whole fruits may be less likely to develop diabetes

Research links fruit but not fruit juice to lower type 2 diabetes risk

The Endocrine Society

Research News

WASHINGTON–A new study finds people who consume two servings of fruit per day have 36 percent lower odds of developing type 2 diabetes than those who consume less than half a serving. The research was published in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

Diabetes is a disease where people have too much sugar in their bloodstream, and it is a huge public health burden. Approximately 463 million adults worldwide were living with diabetes in 2019, and by 2045 this number is expected to rise to 700 million. An estimated 374 million people are at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the disease. A healthy diet and lifestyle can play a major role in lowering a person’s diabetes risk.

“We found people who consumed around 2 servings of fruit per day had a 36 percent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes over the next five years than those who consumed less than half a serving of fruit per day,” said study author Nicola Bondonno, Ph.D., of Edith Cowan University’s Institute for Nutrition Research in Perth, Australia. “We did not see the same patterns for fruit juice. These findings indicate that a healthy diet and lifestyle which includes the consumption of whole fruits is a great strategy to lower your diabetes risk.”

The researchers studied data from 7,675 participants from the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute’s Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study who provided information on their fruit and fruit juice intake through a food frequency questionnaire. They found participants who ate more whole fruits had 36 percent lower odds of having diabetes at five years. The researchers found an association between fruit intake and markers of insulin sensitivity, meaning that people who consumed more fruit had to produce less insulin to lower their blood glucose levels.

“This is important because high levels of circulating insulin (hyperinsulinemia) can damage blood vessels and are related not only to diabetes, but also to high blood pressure, obesity and heart disease,” Bondonno said.

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Other authors of the study include: Raymond Davey of Curtin University in Perth, Australia; Kevin Murray of the University of Western Australia in Perth, Australia; Simone Radavelli-Bagatini of Edith Cowan University; Catherine Bondonno, Lauren Blekkenhorst, Marc Sim, Joshua Lewis, and Jonathan Hodgson of Edith Cowan University’s Institute for Nutrition Research and the Royal Perth Hospital Research Foundation in Perth, Australia; Dianna Magliano of the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne, Australia; Robin Daly of Deakin University in Geelong, Australia; and Jonathan Shaw of the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute and the Monash University in Melbourne, Australia.

The manuscript received funding from the National Heart Foundation of Australia and the National Health and Medical Research Council.

The manuscript, “Associations Between Fruit Intake and Risk of Diabetes in the AusDiab Cohort,” was published online, ahead of print.

Endocrinologists are at the core of solving the most pressing health problems of our time, from diabetes and obesity to infertility, bone health, and hormone-related cancers. The Endocrine Society is the world’s oldest and largest organization of scientists devoted to hormone research and physicians who care for people with hormone-related conditions.

The Society has more than 18,000 members, including scientists, physicians, educators, nurses and students in 122 countries. To learn more about the Society and the field of endocrinology, visit our site at http://www.endocrine.org. Follow us on Twitter at @TheEndoSociety and @EndoMedia.