People with more vitamin C in their blood — which comes from eating fruits and vegetables — are less likely to get type 2 diabetes, even after accounting for other healthy habits.

People who eat about 66 grams more fruits and vegetables each day — roughly one extra apple or a cup of carrots — have a 25% lower chance of getting type 2 diabetes, according to blood tests that measure plant nutrients.

Blood tests for fruit and vegetable nutrients are better at predicting diabetes risk than asking people what they ate, because people often misremember or misreport their diet.

Blood tests for vitamin C and plant pigments stay accurate even after years in storage, making them trustworthy tools to measure how much fruit and vegetables people eat over time.

People who eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day — as estimated by blood tests — have about a one-third lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those who eat less.

Adding a little more fruit and veggies to your diet helps a lot if you’re eating little now — but adding even more beyond that doesn’t help as much.