Eating at least two servings of fruit a day appears to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 36%, according to a new study authored by researchers at Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Australia.
The study found that consuming at least two servings of whole fruit a day, but no fruit juice, increases insulin sensitivity significantly above the values of those who ate less than half a serving.
Insulin sensitivity measures the body’s ability to respond to increases in glucose levels. A person with higher insulin sensitivity will be able to lower blood sugar levels faster and produce less insulin than a person with low sensitivity.
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.
“We found a link between fruit consumption and markers of insulin sensitivity, suggesting that people who consumed more fruit needed to produce less insulin to lower their blood sugar levels.” – Dr. Nicola Bondonno, ECU Institute for Nutritional Research, first author.
So if such a small change in our eating habits would allow us to naturally increase our insulin sensitivity and better mitigate high glucose levels, this is important.
A total of 7,675 Australians took part in the study, which took into account their fruit and fruit juice consumption and the prevalence of diabetes after five years.
