Nutritious diet can protect against type 2 diabetes, regardless of genetics

A healthy diet that adheres to nutritional recommendations is associated with better blood glucose levels and a lower risk of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes, a new study from the University of Eastern Finland shows. This relationship has also been observed in individuals with a high genetic predisposition to type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes is a highly genetic disease that can be prevented and delayed with a healthy lifestyle, such as diet and exercise.

However, we don’t know whether a healthy diet is equally beneficial for everyone, that is, those with a low genetic risk and those with a high genetic risk.”

Ulla Tolonen, PhD researcher, University of Eastern Finland

The cross-sectional study examined food intake and blood glucose levels in more than 1,500 middle-aged and older men who participated in the largest study of the Metabolic Syndrome in Men, METSIM. Food consumption was measured using a food frequency questionnaire and blood glucose levels were measured using a two-hour glucose tolerance test. In addition, study participants’ genetic risk for type 2 diabetes was estimated based on 76 genetic variants associated with type 2 diabetes risk.

The researchers identified two dietary patterns based on food consumption. A dietary pattern labeled as “healthy” included, among other things, vegetables, berries, fruits, vegetable oils, fish, poultry, potatoes, unsweetened and low-fat yogurt, low-fat cheese, and whole grain products. , like porridge, pasta. and rice. This diet was associated, for example, with lower blood glucose levels and a lower risk of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.

The study also explored the effect of genetic risk of type 2 diabetes on associations with diet and glucose metabolism. The associations of a healthy diet with better glucose metabolism appeared to hold true for individuals with a low and high genetic risk of diabetes.

“Our findings suggest that a healthy diet appears to benefit everyone, regardless of their genetic risk,” concludes Tolonen.

The findings were published in European Journal of Nutrition.