Frequent salad vegetable consumption is associated with a reduction in therisk of diabetes mellitus

This cross sectional study was undertaken to investigate the association be tween the reported frequency of consumption of vegetables and fruits, the c hoice of staple carbohydrate, and glucose intolerance. One thousand one hun dred twenty-two subjects aged 40-64 years in a population-based study under went an oral glucose tolerance test, and their food consumption was assesse d using a food-frequency questionnaire. The crude prevalence of undiagnosed non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) was 4.5%, and that of impa ired glucose tolerance (IGT) 16.8%. The age-standardized prevalence rates w ere 2.3 and 11.2%, respectively. Frequent consumption of vegetables through out the year was inversely associated with the risk of having NIDDM (odds r atio [OR] = 0.16; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.04-0.69). This associati on war; maintained after adjustment for age, gender, and family history. Ve getable consumption during the summer months had a much weaker inverse asso ciation with the risk of having NIDDM that failed to reach statistical sign ificance. A nonsignificant inverse association between frequent consumption of fruits and NIDDM was observed. Frequent self-reported pasta and rice co nsumption was associated with a reduction in the risk of having IGT and NID DM (OR = 0.62, 95% CI = 0.44-0.87, and OR = 0.51, 95% CI = 0.27-0.99, respe ctively) but this relationship was not independent of age. Whether these as sociations reflect specific effects of particular nutrients or are a reflec tion of the patterning of lifestyle factors remains to be determined, (C) 1 999 Elsevier Science, Inc.