Skip the juice to avoid type 2 diabetes

While fruit consumption has been linked to a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, researchers have suggested that fruit juice consumption may have an adverse effect.

Data from three prospective cohort studies among US adults was used to examine the association of individual fruit consumption in relation to type 2 diabetes risk. More than 180,000 participants were involved in the studies and were asked every four years to complete food frequency questionnaires to assess their habitual diets.

The researchers - from the UK, USA and Singapore - reported that 12,198 out of 187,382 (6.5%) of participants developed diabetes.

Total whole fruit consumption correlated positively with age, physical activity, multivitamin use, total energy intake and fruit juice consumption. Three servings per week of blueberries; grapes and raisins; apples and pears significantly reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes.

In contrast, greater consumption of fruit juice was associated with increased type 2 diabetes risk. Substitution of whole fruits for fruit juice was associated with a lower risk, except strawberries and rockmelon.

Among those who had three servings per week of individual whole fruits, rather than fruit juice, the overall risk was reduced by 7%. Replacing three servings of fruit juice per week with individual whole fruits reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes by 7%.

The researchers concluded that a greater consumption of specific whole fruits - namely blueberries, grapes and apples - was significantly associated with lower type 2 diabetes risk, whereas greater fruit juice consumption was associated with a higher risk.

According to the study authors, these results support recommendations to increase the consumption of a variety of whole fruits as a diabetes prevention measure.

The results of the study were published in a paper on www.bmj.com.