NUTHETAL, Germany, May 17 (UPI) -- High dietary fiber from grains and cereals and magnesium may be associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, a German study has found.
Matthias B. Schulze and colleagues at the German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke, in Nuthetal, conducted a study of 9,702 men and 15,365 women ages 35 to 65.
Participants completed a food questionnaire when they enrolled in the study between 1994 and 1998. They were followed up through 2005 -- an average of seven years -- to see if they developed diabetes.
During the follow-up period, 844 individuals in the study developed type 2 diabetes. Those who consumed more fiber through cereal, bread and other grain products were less likely to develop diabetes than those who ate less fiber, according to the study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
When the participants were split into five groups based on cereal fiber intake, those who ate the most -- an average of 17 grams per day -- had a 27 percent lower risk of developing diabetes than those in the group that ate the least -- an average of 7 grams per day.
Eating more fiber overall or from fruits and vegetables was not associated with diabetes risk, nor was magnesium intake.
