Authors
Williams DE. Wareham NJ. Cox BD. Byrne CD. Hales CN. Day NE.
Institution
Department of Community Medicine, Institute of Public Health, University of
Cambridge, United Kingdom.
Title
Frequent salad vegetable consumption is
associated with a reduction in the risk of diabetes mellitus.
Source
Journal of Clinical Epidemiology. 52(4):329-35, 1999 Apr.
Abstract
This cross-sectional study was undertaken to investigate the association
between the reported frequency of consumption of vegetables and fruits,the
choice of staple carbohydrate, and glucose intolerance. One thousand one
hundred twenty-two subjects aged 40-64 years in a population-based study
underwent an oral glucose tolerance test, and their food consumption was
assessed using a food-frequency questionnaire. The crude prevalence of
undiagnosed non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) was 4.5%, and
that of impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) 16.8%. The age-standardized
prevalence rates were 2.3 and 11.2%, respectively. Frequent
consumption of vegetables throughout the year was inversely associated with
the risk of having NIDDM (odds ratio [OR] = 0.16; 95% confidence interval
[CI] = 0.04-0.69). This association was maintained after adjustment for age,
gender, and family history. Vegetable consumption during the summer months
had a much weaker inverse association with the risk of having NIDDM that
failed to reach statistical significance. A nonsignificant inverse
association between frequent consumption of fruits and NIDDM
was observed. Frequent self-reported pasta and rice
consumption was associated with a reduction in the risk of having IGT and
NIDDM. (OR = 0.62, 95% CI = 0.44-0.87, and OR = 0.51, 95% CI = 0.27-0.99,
respectively) but this relationship was not independent of age. Whether these
associations reflect specific effects of particular nutrients or are a
reflection of the patterning of lifestyle factors remains to be determined.
Additional note by poster:
The odds ratio for NIDDM of 0.16 for frequent vegetable consumption is exceptionally low.