Rumour: Increasing your consumption of any kind of fruit can help lower diabetes risk
Fact: This is false.
According to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the risk of developing type 2 diabetes is not just dependent on whether fruit is consumed, but also on what kinds of fruit are consumed.
Looking at over 45, 000 participants in the Singapore Chinese Health Study, researchers collected information on their medical history, their fruit intake, and incidence of type 2 diabetes.
They found that high consumption of total fruit was not consistently associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes.
More importantly, they discovered that the type of fruit that was consumed influenced the risk of diabetes.
In women, consuming temperate fruit (such as apples) lowered the risk of type 2 diabetes; however, consuming fruit with higher glycemic loads (such as bananas) was linked to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes in men.
Researchers found that both the amount and type of fruit could influence the risk of type 2 diabetes.
Read more about fruit consumption and diabetes risk here.
