November - 4 - 2009
Consuming more vegetables during pregnancy may reduce the risk of diabetes in children, according to a study of 6,000 Swedish children. Researchers found that 3 percent of these children had either elevated levels of antibodies that attack insulin-producing cells or fully developed type 1 diabetes by five years of age. Diabetes risk markers were up to twice as common in children whose mothers rarely ate vegetables during pregnancy. Although researchers cannot say the vegetables themselves had the protective effect, but other associated factors, such as standard of education, did not explain the link. The study is published in Pediatric Diabetes.