In France, 4 million people live with diabetes. The increase in cases observed in recent years is expected to continue as the population ages.
The explosion in the incidence of diabetes expected over the coming decades is such that experts no longer hesitate to talk about “epidemic”. A relatively silent diabetes epidemic (1 in two French people have never been screened for diabetes, according to the French Federation of Diabetics) that hygienic and dietary measures can bring them into line, as explained by Dr Réginald Allouche, a doctor specializing in diabetes and overweight, in the columns of Medisite.
The levers at hand are well known: regular physical exercise combined with a healthy and varied diet. Or the fight against obesity and overweightrisk factor for type 2 diabetes and related complications (cardiovascular diseases, kidney diseases, dementia, cancers).
Balanced food on the plate, with the adoption of certain reflexes such as reduce your sugar intakeproves to be an effective means of stabilize blood sugar and prevent type 2 diabetes (but also control it when it is established).
Also, giving a good place to fruits and vegetables is associated with a lower risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and cancers, but also type 2 diabetes.
The positive influence of a diet rich in plants on this chronic disease is highlighted in a study published on May 22, 2024 in Nutrition & Diabetes.
This new work focused on the protective effects of flavonoidsnatural compounds present in many plants.
These substances are often talked about for their antioxidant properties : they help fight free radicals which generate oxidative stress, a Source of aggression, inflammation and a risk factor for chronic diseases.
Six flavonoid-rich foods a day keep diabetes at bay
Flavonoids are a class of polyphenolic compounds that can be grouped into six subcategories: flavanones, flavones, flavan-3-ols, flavonols, anthocyanins and isoflavones.
Researchers examined the impact of a diet rich in flavonoids on the risk of type 2 diabetes, by recruiting a panel of 113,097 Britons, all participants in the UK Biobank (a large scientific database covering 500,000 Britons). .
The volunteers’ eating habits, including their flavonoid intake, were monitored for twelve years. In total, over this period, 2,628 cases of type 2 diabetes were recorded.
The results confirm the benefit of a greater intake of flavonoids as part of an anti-diabetes diet.
Concretely, eating six servings of flavonoid-rich foods per day is associated with a 28% reduced risk of type 2 diabetescompared to those who eat one serving of flavonoid-rich foods per day.
Flavonoids: the foods to favor
This virtuous circle is verified by the improvement of different blood markers: an increase in insulin sensitivity, a reduction in insulin resistance and an improvement in the blood lipid profile.
A diet rich in flavonoids benefits type 2 diabetes by regulating obesity, glucose metabolism, inflammation, kidney function and liver function, the researchers describe in the study.
Certain foods full of flavonoids stand out from the crowd: black tea, green tea, berries (blackcurrants, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries) and apples. Specifically, greater consumption of black or green tea, berries and apples is linked to a reduction in the risk of type 2 diabetes by 21%, 15% and 12% respectively.
