Greens might help keep diabetes away
Fruit and vegetable intake and incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus: systematic review and meta-analysis
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Scientists looked at what people ate and if they got diabetes later. They found that eating lots of leafy greens like spinach and kale might lower the chance of getting diabetes, but eating other fruits and veggies didn't seem to help.
Surprising Findings
Eating more fruit showed no link to lower diabetes risk.
Public health messaging for decades has pushed fruit as a healthy, diabetes-friendly food—this study contradicts that assumption.
Practical Takeaways
Add 1–2 servings of leafy greens daily—like spinach in smoothies, kale in salads, or Swiss chard in stir-fries.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Scientists looked at what people ate and if they got diabetes later. They found that eating lots of leafy greens like spinach and kale might lower the chance of getting diabetes, but eating other fruits and veggies didn't seem to help.
Surprising Findings
Eating more fruit showed no link to lower diabetes risk.
Public health messaging for decades has pushed fruit as a healthy, diabetes-friendly food—this study contradicts that assumption.
Practical Takeaways
Add 1–2 servings of leafy greens daily—like spinach in smoothies, kale in salads, or Swiss chard in stir-fries.
Publication
Journal
The BMJ
Year
2010
Authors
P. Carter, L. Gray, J. Troughton, K. Khunti, M. Davies
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Claims (10)
Different studies defined 'leafy greens' differently—some included spinach, others Chinese greens—so it's hard to know exactly what foods are linked to lower diabetes risk.
Most of the people in these studies were women, so we don’t know if eating more leafy greens helps men avoid diabetes the same way.
Even when researchers looked at different groups of people, different ways of measuring diet, or different countries, eating more leafy greens still seemed to be linked to lower diabetes risk, which makes the finding more reliable.
Many of the studies used in this review had weaknesses, like not fully accounting for factors like weight or family history of diabetes, which means we should be cautious about trusting the results too much.
Leafy greens might help prevent diabetes because they contain good nutrients like magnesium and antioxidants that help your body use insulin better and fight cell damage.