Researchers say that eating more green leafy vegetables lowers the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, though further data is required to confirm these findings,
The British Medical Journal reports that Patrick Carter’s team at the University of Leicester in Britain came to these conclusions after reviewing six studies involving about 220,000 people.
When subjects ate about 120 grams more per day of green leafy vegetables such as spinach, lettuce, cabbage or broccoli reduced their risk of developing the disease by 14%.
By contrast, researchers found that increasing consumption of other fruits and vegetables had little impact on prevention of type 2 diabetes.
It seems that the antioxidants and magnesium contained in plants with green leaves have discernible health benefits.
A recent Chinese study also stated that emodin, a plant extract, has also shown promising results against type 2 diabetes.
The disease affects 220 million people worldwide.