A major new study has shown that people with type 2 diabetes can lower their risk of early death by eating a healthy diet rich in whole grains, fiber, fish, and healthy fats.
This finding is important because individuals with type 2 diabetes are more likely to face serious health issues like heart disease, dementia, cancer, and broken bones.
The researchers found that adding certain foods to your daily diet could have a big impact. For example, eating just one more serving of whole grains each day—like a slice of brown bread, a bowl of whole grain cereal, or some brown rice—can reduce the risk of death by around 16%.
Adding a little more fiber, about 5 grams a day (which you could get from a pear or two shredded wheat biscuits), lowers the risk by 14%.
Fish and healthy fats from sources like nuts, seeds, and leafy vegetables also play a key role. Eating one more serving of fish each week was linked to a 5% lower risk of death. Even small increases in omega-3 fats, like 0.1 grams per day, led to a 13% lower risk. These fats are found in foods like salmon, walnuts, flax seeds, and spinach.
Other helpful changes include eating more vegetables and plant-based protein. Eating 100 grams more vegetables a day, like carrots, broccoli, or spinach, was tied to a 12% lower risk. Getting an extra 10 grams of protein from plants—such as from beans, tofu, nuts, lentils, or peas—was linked to a 9% lower risk.
But not all foods are helpful. The study found that eating more eggs and foods high in cholesterol could increase the risk of dying early. For example, eating two more medium eggs a week (or about 10 grams more egg each day) was linked to a 5% higher risk of death.
The study was based on a careful review of 107 different studies involving adults with type 2 diabetes. The researchers looked at the diets of participants and followed them for about 10 years on average. Out of those studies, 72 were included in a detailed analysis, called a meta-analysis, to find clear patterns.
The results show that food choices do more than just help manage blood sugar—they can also affect how long people with type 2 diabetes live.
By choosing more whole grains, vegetables, plant proteins, and healthy fats—and by cutting back on eggs and high-cholesterol foods—people with type 2 diabetes can take real steps to improve their health.
This study was shared at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) Annual Meeting and offers helpful guidance for anyone living with diabetes who wants to eat better and live longer.
If you care about diabetes, please read studies about Vitamin D and type 2 diabetes, and to people with diabetes, some fruits are better than others.
For more health information, please see recent studies that low calorie diets may help reverse diabetes, and 5 vitamins that may prevent complication in diabetes.
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