Source : Presstv / 1 Oct 2013

New study demonstrates that consumption of more fruit, particularly blueberries, grapes, and apples, can significantly avert risk of type-2 diabetes.

While consumption of fruit juices was associated with a higher risk of type-2 diabetes, eating more fruit is beneficial for lowering diabetes risk, according to a new study led by Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers.

The study, through observing the diets of 187,000 American people, shows that blueberries can cut the risk by 26% compared with 2% for three servings of any whole fruit.

The researchers examined data gathered between 1984 and 2008 from participants in three long-running studies including Nurses' Health Study, Nurses' Health Study II, and Health Professionals Follow-up Study.

The fruits used in the research were grapes or raisins, peaches, plums or apricots, prunes, bananas, cantaloupe, apples or pears, oranges, grapefruit, strawberries and blueberries.

Researchers found that grapes, raisins, apples and pears also significantly reduced the risk of type-2 diabetes, though they were at the second rate after blueberries.

In contrast to the result of those who ate fruit, the study indicated increased risk of developing the disease by 21% among those who consumed one or more servings of fruit juice each day.

The researchers suggest that the high levels of anthocyanins in fruits is likely responsible for the lowering risk.

"Fruits have highly variable contents of fibre, antioxidants, other nutrients, and phytochemicals that jointly may influence the risk,"according to the study published in BMJ (British Medical Journal).

"Our data further endorse current recommendations on increasing whole fruits, but not fruit juice, as a measure for diabetes prevention,"said the lead author Isao Muraki, research fellow in the Department of Nutrition at HSPH.

Diabetes is an incurable condition in which the body cannot control blood sugar levels, because of problems with the hormone insulin.

In type-2 diabetes, either the pancreas cells do not make enough insulin, or the body's cells do not react properly to it. This is known as insulin resistance.