Infographic – Diabetes : Focus on fruit and vegetables nutrients contributing to prevention

Fruit and vegetables contain numerous ingredients that are responsible for their protective effects against type 2 diabetes. Their consumption is therefore highly recommended as part of a healthy diet to reduce the risk.

Because of their high dietary fiber content, fruit and vegetables delay the absorption of carbohydrates after a meal, thus reducing the insulin response. This translates into lower postprandial blood sugar and insulin levels. Dietary fibre also increases satiety, thus limiting the consumption of energy-dense foods, reducing weight gain, a risk factor for type 2 diabetes (Ball et al., 2003). Fruit and vegetables also contain significant amounts of polyphenols and antioxidant compounds (carotenoids, vitamin C, etc.) that reduce oxidative stress which is harmful to glucose uptake (Wang et al., 2016). Finally, the magnesium found in certain fruits and vegetables plays a role in insulin action. Indeed, people with type 2 diabetes often suffer from hypomagnesemia, which can impair insulin secretion and promote insulin resistance (Kostov, 2019).