Dietary flavonoid intakes and risk of type 2 diabetes in US men and women.

Adequate intake of anthocyanin-rich foods, such as apple, pear, and blueberry, may help guard against the development of type 2 diabetes.

This study examined the role different subclasses of dietary flavonoids, including flavonols, flavones, flavanones, flavan-3-ols, and anthocyanins, play in the prevention of type 2 diabetes. Researchers reviewed data on the flavonoid intake, lifestyle, and medical history of 200,894 cardiovascular disease-, cancer-, and diabetes-free men and women recruited from the Nurses' Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study.

The team of investigators found out that regular consumption of anthocyanin-rich foods, such as apple, pear, and blueberry, diminished the odds of developing type 2 diabetes. In contrast, increased intake of other subclasses of flavonoids, such as flavonols, flavones, flavonones, and flavan-3-ols, did not have any significant effect on type 2 diabetes development risk in this study. The results of this study suggest that high dietary ingestion of anthocyanin-rich foods may protect individuals against type 2 diabetes.