Evidence continues to mount that a diet rich in vegetables and fruits helps prevent (and treat) virtually every major disease.
Here, a new study confirms the link between the Vitamin C in these foods and the prevention of diabetes.
In a study of middle-aged and older men and women, those with the highest blood levels of vitamin C were significantly less likely to develop diabetes over 12 years than those with the lowest levels, researchers found.
Fruits and vegetables are the main source of vitamin C in Western diets, and blood levels of vitamin C are good markers of fruit and vegetable intake, Dr. Nita G. Forouhi, at the Institute of Metabolic Science at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, England, and colleagues note.
And another indicates that the heart damage that goes hand-in-hand with diabetes is lessened by a sulforaphane, a compound in broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables.
A University of Warwick team believe the key is a compound found in the vegetable, called sulforaphane.
It encourages production of enzymes which protect the blood vessels, and a reduction in high levels of molecules which cause significant cell damage.
Brassica vegetables such as broccoli have previously been linked to a lower risk of heart attacks and strokes.
