Fresh vegetable intake and prevalence of diabetes in a Chinese population in Qingdao

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the association of fresh vegetable consumption with the risk of diabetes in a Chinese population.

Methods: Data from 2386 individuals aged 35-74 years who participated in a population-based cross sectional diabetes survey in Qingdao, China were analyzed. Frequency of vegetable intake was obtained using a food frequency questionnaire. Diabetes was defined as self-reported diabetes or undiagnosed diabetes determined by 2-h 75 g oral glucose tolerance test or fasting capillary blood glucose test. Multivariate-adjusted odds ratio (OR) for the presence (vs. the absence) of diabetes in association with the frequency of fresh vegetable intake was estimated using logistic regression analysis.

Results: The OR for the presence of diabetes was 1.17 (95% CI 0.66, 2.05) in men and 0.50 (95% CI 0.33, 0.77) in women who ate fresh vegetables more than 14 times/week as compared with those who ate fresh vegetables less than 7 times/week after adjustment for age, family history of diabetes, BMI, systolic blood pressure, 24-h energy intake, physical activity and smoking and drinking.

Conclusions: Consumption of fresh vegetables was associated with a low risk of having diabetes in women but not in men in this Chinese population.