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Meta-Analysis
. 2016 Jan;7(1):56-69.
doi: 10.1111/jdi.12376. Epub 2015 Jun 22.

Higher intake of fruits, vegetables or their fiber reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes: A meta-analysis

Ping-Yu Wang  1 , Jun-Chao Fang  1 , Zong-Hua Gao  1 , Can Zhang  2 , Shu-Yang Xie  1
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Higher intake of fruits, vegetables or their fiber reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes: A meta-analysis

Ping-Yu Wang et al. J Diabetes Investig. 2016 Jan.

Abstract

Aims/introduction: Some previous studies reported no significant association of consuming fruit or vegetables, or fruit and vegetables combined, with type 2 diabetes. Others reported that only a greater intake of green leafy vegetables reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes. To further investigate the relationship between them, we carried out a meta-analysis to estimate the independent effects of the intake of fruit, vegetables and fiber on the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Materials and methods: Searches of MEDLINE and EMBASE for reports of prospective cohort studies published from 1 January 1966 to 21 July 2014 were carried out, checking reference lists, hand-searching journals and contacting experts.

Results: The primary analysis included a total of 23 (11 + 12) articles. The pooled maximum-adjusted relative risk of type 2 diabetes for the highest intake vs the lowest intake were 0.91 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.87-0.96) for total fruits, 0.75 (95% CI 0.66-0.84) for blueberries, 0.87 (95% CI 0.81-0.93) for green leafy vegetables, 0.72 (95% CI 0.57-0.90) for yellow vegetables, 0.82 (95% CI 0.67-0.99) for cruciferous vegetables and 0.93 (95% CI 0.88-0.99) for fruit fiber in these high-quality studies in which scores were seven or greater, and 0.87 (95% CI 0.80-0.94) for vegetable fiber in studies with a follow-up period of 10 years or more.

Conclusions: A higher intake of fruit, especially berries, and green leafy vegetables, yellow vegetables, cruciferous vegetables or their fiber is associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes.

Keywords: Meta‐analysis; Nutrition intake; Type 2 diabetes.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Process of study selection in the meta‐analysis. OR, odds ratio; RR, relative risk; T2D, type 2 diabetes.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Maximum‐adjusted relative risk (RR) for type 2 diabetes, comparing highest vs lowest intake of fruit. Weights are from fixed effect analysis. CI, confidence interval.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Maximum‐adjusted relative risk (RR) for type 2 diabetes, comparing highest vs lowest intake of green leafy vegetables. Weights are from fixed effect analysis. CI, confidence interval.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Maximum‐adjusted relative risk (RR) for type 2 diabetes, comparing highest vs lowest intake of fruit fiber. Weights are from fixed effect analysis. CI, confidence interval.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Maximum‐adjusted relative risk (RR) for type 2 diabetes, comparing highest vs lowest intake of vegetable fiber. Weights are from random effect analysis. CI, confidence interval.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Publication bias was analyzed using funnel plot. (a) Fruit. (b) Vegetables. SE of Ln RR, standard error or natural logarithm of relative risk.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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