"Eat your vegetables" is a favorite saying of mothers everywhere -- and advice that may cut your risk of developing the most common form of diabetes.

A study conducted in Britain found that people who ate salad and raw vegetables frequently year-round had an over 80% lower risk of type 2 (non-insulin dependent) diabetes than people who ate vegetables less often. Individuals who reported frequent consumption of salad and raw vegetables had significantly lower plasma glucose and prevalence of non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus than were those who reported infrequent consumption.

The finding held even after the researchers took into account other risk factor for diabetes, such as family history and age.

Journal of Clinical Epidemiology 1999;52:329-335.

COMMENT: More evidence that VEGETABLES, not fruits, hold the health "magic." I am convinced that if one starts early enough most all type 2 diabetics can be put into remission with this approach. Please see the Heller's book on Carbohydrate Addiction and Dr. Bernstein's Diabetic Solution for more information.