Pure Fruit Juice and Fruit Consumption Are Not Associated with Incidence of Type 2 Diabetes after Adjustment for Overall Dietary Quality in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition–Netherlands (EPIC-NL) Study

• Published in: The Journal of nutrition 2020-06, Vol.150 (6), p.1470-1477
• Main Authors: Scheffers, Floor R, Wijga, Alet H, Verschuren, W M Monique, van der Schouw, Yvonne T, Sluijs, Ivonne, Smit, Henriëtte A, Boer, Jolanda M A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Cancer; Diabetes; Diabetes mellitus; Diabetes mellitus (non-insulin dependent); Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - epidemiology; Diet; Disease management; Epidemiology; Female; Fruit; Fruit and Vegetable Juices; Fruit juices; Fruits; Health risks; Humans; Incidence; Juices; Male; Medical records; Middle Aged; Neoplasms - epidemiology; Netherlands - epidemiology; Nutrition; Nutrition Policy; Nutritional Epidemiology; Prospective Studies; Risk; Risk Factors
• ISSN: 0022-3166; 1541-6100
• DOI: 10.1093/jn/nxz340

ABSTRACT Background Dietary guidelines on pure fruit juice consumption vary from country to country regarding the inclusion of pure fruit juice in the recommendations as an acceptable alternative for fruit. Current epidemiological evidence on the association between pure fruit juice consumption and diabetes risk is scarce. Objective We studied the association of both pure fruit juice and fruit consumption with diabetes risk and investigated the differences between low and high fruit consumers in the association of pure fruit juice consumption with diabetes risk. Methods This prospective cohort study included 36,147 participants in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition–Netherlands (EPIC-NL) Study aged 20–69 y at baseline. Fruit juice and fruit consumption were assessed using a validated food-frequency questionnaire; amounts of consumption were divided into 5 categories and quintiles, respectively. Incident type 2 diabetes cases were mainly self-reported and verified against medical records. Cox regression was used to estimate adjusted HRs and 95% CIs. Results After an average follow-up of 14.6 y, 1477 verified incident cases of type 2 diabetes were documented. Compared with no consumption, pure fruit juice consumption was not significantly associated with type 2 diabetes, with adjusted HRs ranging from 0.92 (95% CI: 0.79, 1.09) to 1.03 (95% CI: 0.83, 1.26). The associations did not differ between participants with low and high fruit consumption. None of the categories of fruit consumption were associated with type 2 diabetes (lowest quintile as reference). Adjusted HRs ranged between 0.93 (95% CI: 0.78, 1.10) and 1.00 (95% CI: 0.84, 1.19). Adjustment for the Dutch Healthy Diet Index, as an overall measure of dietary quality, strongly attenuated the observed associations of type 2 diabetes with both fruit juice and fruit consumption. Conclusions We found no evidence for associations between pure fruit juice and fruit consumption and diabetes risk after adjustment for overall dietary quality for participants in the EPIC-NL study. This trial was registered at https://www.trialregister.nl/trial/6939 as NL6939.