According to a study published in the journal Plos One, the combined consumption of vegetables, fruit, whole grains, nuts, coffee, skimmed dairy products, fiber, polyunsaturated fatty acids -present, for example, in vegetable oils- and alcohol in moderate amounts would reduce by almost 70% the risk of developing diabetes subject 2. On the contrary, the intake of processed meats, sugary soft drinks and red meat would produce the opposite effect.

This is the result of an analysis carried out by researchers from the University of Navarra, the high school of research Sanitaria de Navarra (IdisNA) and the research center Biomédica en network -Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y la Nutrición (CIBERobn) within the project SUN (Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra) at partnership with researchers from the University of Palermo (Italy).

This study was based on the data observational analysis conducted within the project SUN with 17,292 volunteers who initially did not have diabetes and who were followed for more than nine years. At the end of the period it was confirmed that 143 people had been diagnosed with diabetes subject 2.

"The prevalence of this disease in Spain is 13.8% in people over 18 years of age. Its importance is due to the complications it can cause, as it is the main cause of blindness, renal failure and non-traumatic amputations of the lower limbs in Western countries," explains the endocrinologist and researcher Javier Basterra-Gortari, co-author of the study.

In this regard, Dr. Maira Bes-Rastrollo, team member researcher , adds that the main causes of diabetes subject 2 are the burden Genetics, obesity and physical inactivity: "The last two are causes that can be modified, hence the importance of a correct Education in health," she stresses.  

Self-calculating BMI: will you develop diabetes subject 2?

In this sense, the PREDIMED study (Prevention with Mediterranean per diem expenses ), in which the University of Navarra, the Navarra Health Service-Osasunbidea and CIBERobn participate, has already confirmed experimentally that a Mediterranean per diem expenses rich in virgin olive oil reduces the risk of diabetes by 40%.

In addition, further analysis of the study showed thatparticipants with a body mass index (BMI) greater than 35 - this indicator is obtained by dividing weight in kilograms by height in meters squared - had a 64-fold increased risk of developing diabetes subject 2, compared to those with a BMI of less than 22. Likewise, participants who were not overweight but had a BMI between 22.1 and 24.9 had four times the risk of developing diabetes. In the opinion of Dr. Maira Bes-Rastrollo, "these results could be applied at clinical practice to improve the dietary habits of people at high risk of diabetes subject 2, in addition to serving as an educational tool to help the population self-assess their risk of developing this disease".