Eat Whole Grapes, Blueberries to Lower Diabetes Type-2 Risk

If you are trying to reduce the risk of developing diabetes type-2 then try munching on fruits rather than drinking fruit juices.

A large study, based on data from 187,382 participants, found that people who eat fruits such as grapes, blueberries and apples have lower risk of developing diabetes type-2, but those drinking only fruit juices have higher diabetes risk.

Researchers from the U.K., U.S. and Singapore worked on the study. The team used food frequency questionnaire to assess the level of fruit intake by the study participants. Fruits considered in the study included grapes or raisins, peaches, plums or apricots, prunes, bananas, cantaloupe, apples or pears, oranges, grapefruit, strawberries and blueberries, BBC reported.

About 6.5 percent of all participants developed diabetes during the course of the study. Researchers found that three servings of blueberries; grapes and raisins; apples and pears per week reduced the risk of diabetes type-2.

However, people drinking greater amounts of fruit juices had increased risk of diabetes when compared to people who ate whole fruit.

Previous research has shown that eating fruits and vegetables reduces risk of many health complications. A study had earlier suggested that eating fruits and vegetables lowers LDL (bad cholesterol that causes heart diseases) in men and women. People can reduce risk of diabetes type-2 by eating fruits and veggies, according to another new study published in the journal Diabetes Care.

"Overall, these results support recommendations on increasing consumption of a variety of whole fruits, especially blueberries, grapes, and apples, as a measure for diabetes prevention," the authors wrote.

The present study is published in the journal BMJ.