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Increased consumption of legumes, such as peanuts and soybeans, has been shown to markedly reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. Raquel Villegas from Vanderbilt University (Tennessee), and colleagues from the Shanghai Cancer Institute followed 64,227 Chinese women for 4.6 years, using questionnaires to assess subjects' dietary patterns. Subjects with a high intake of a variety of legumes had a 38 percent reduction in diabetes risk. In particular, a high intake of soybeans was associated with a 47 percent risk reduction. 

The Power of Vitamin C

Previous studies have linked greater consumption of fruit and vegetables with a decreased risk of type 2 diabetes. Anne-Helen Harding and colleagues investigated the correlation between vitamin C levels and type 2 diabetes risk. Over a 12-year period, the team followed 21,831 men and women, (ages 40 to 75 at the study's start), all of whom were participants of the European Prospective Investigation of Cancer (EPIC). The researchers found that men and women with the highest blood levels of vitamin C (at least 1.10 mg/dL and 1.29 mg/dL, respectively) had a 62 percent reduction in the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, as compared to those with the lowest blood levels (less than 0.56 mg/dL for men and 0.77 mg/dL for women). Further, men and women with the highest fruit and vegetable intake (459 g and 550 g per day, respectively) reduced their risk of diabetes onset by 22 percent, as compared to those with the lowest intakes (289 g for men and 382 g for women).

It's Tea (and Wine) Time

Dietary phenolic compounds, found in high concentrations in red wine and certain teas, may play a role in slowing the passage of carbohydrates into the bloodstream. Kalidas Shetty and colleagues found that red wine inhibits the activity of alpha-glucosidase, an enzyme responsible for triggering the absorption of glucose by the small intestine, by almost 100 percent; black tea extracts produce a 90 percent inhibitory effect. The researchers stated: "It is clear that [red] wines and [some] teas have high antioxidant activity and good inhibitory profiles on [carbohydrate]absorption in the intestine."

Diabetes stands as the seventh leading cause of death in the United States. Overall, the risk for death among people with diabetes is about twice that of people without diabetes of similar age. Financially, it is a costly disease, responsible for an annual health care tab of $174 billion (direct medical costs and indirect costs including disability, work loss, and premature mortality). The societal costs of the disease are significant as well, since diabetes profoundly impacts individuals and families. Your doctor can evaluate your current dietary and exercise habits, and suggest ways you can minimize your risk of developing diabetes and other weight-related conditions.