People in Korea who eat a lot of healthy plant foods like vegetables, beans, and whole grains are less likely to get type 2 diabetes than others—and this way of eating is the biggest protective factor compared to other lifestyle choices.

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

0

Community contributions welcome

59

The Association Between Composite Healthy Lifestyle Score and Type 2 Diabetes Risk in the Korean Population: The Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study

Cohort Study

Human

2026 Jan 14

The study shows that people who live healthily — including eating good plant foods — have much lower diabetes risk. But it doesn’t prove that eating plants is more important than the other healthy habits like exercise or not smoking.

Contradicting (0)

0

Community contributions welcome

No contradicting evidence found

Gold Standard Evidence Needed

According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.

Source Study

The Association Between Composite Healthy Lifestyle Score and Type 2 Diabetes Risk in the Korean Population: The Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study

Score: 59

DOI: 10.3390/nu18020273

Similar Assertions

Men in Korea who eat more healthy plant-based foods like vegetables, fruits, and whole grains have a 20% lower chance of having a heart attack or heart disease in the next 10 years, compared to those who eat less of these foods.

52

0

78%

People in Korea who eat more healthy plant-based foods like vegetables, beans, and whole grains tend to have lower bad cholesterol levels, which might be why they’re less likely to have heart problems.

52

0

77%

People in Korea who followed five healthy habits—like not smoking, exercising daily, drinking alcohol in moderation, maintaining a healthy weight, and eating mostly plant-based foods—were 56% less likely to develop type 2 diabetes over nearly 18 years than those who followed few or none of these habits.

59

0

71%