The research team also found that one serving of fruit juice a day increased the risk of Type II diabetes in women.

Tulane epidemiologist Dr. Lydia Bazzano says, "Based on the results of our study, people who have risk factors for diabetes may find it helpful to fill up on leafy greens like lettuces, kale and spinach and whole fruits, like apples, bananas, oranges and watermelon rather than drink fruit juices, which deliver a big sugar load in a liquid form that gets absorbed rapidly."

Bazzano and her team analyzed 18 years worth of diet and health data from 71,346 nurses who participated in the Nurses' Health Study from 1984 to 2002. The study was published in the April 4, 2008 online issue of Diabetes Care .

In addition to emphasizing the importance of eating whole fruits and green leafy vegetables to prevent diabetes, the team also recommends replacing refined grains and white potatoes with whole fruit or green leafy vegetable servings. White flours and potatoes have been associated with an increased risk of diabetes.

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Meanwhile, people with type 2 diabetes and their health care providers need to be careful in situations where there is education and teaching about diabetes care, as patients may need a little more time to absorb and process information, Williamson said. Patients also need to be open to having a family member periodically making sure they are keeping track of managing their diabetes through monitoring, diet, exercise and medication.

The ACCORD-MIND study was funded by the National Institute on Aging in collaboration with the ACCORD trial funded by NHLBI with additional support from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the National Eye Institute, the National Institute on Aging and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center (www.wfubmc) is an academic health system comprised of North Carolina Baptist Hospital, Brenner Children's Hospital, Wake Forest University Physicians, and Wake Forest University Health Sciences, which operates the university's School of Medicine and Piedmont Triad Research Park. The system comprises 1,154 acute care, rehabilitation and long-term care beds and has been ranked as one of America's Best Hospitals by U.S. News & World Report since 1993. Wake Forest Baptist is ranked 32nd in the nation by America's Top Doctors for the number of its doctors considered best by their peers. The institution ranks in the top third in funding by the National Institutes of Health and fourth in the Southeast in revenues from its licensed intellectual property.

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