Oxford University researchers found that greater consumption of fresh fruit was linked with a lower incidence of diabetes, as well as reduced occurrence of complications in people with diabetes.
Although the health benefits of diets including fresh fruit and vegetables are well established, the sugar content of fruit has led to uncertainty about associated risks of diabetes and of vascular complications of the disease.
Researchers studied nearly 500,000 people participating in the China Kadoorie Biobank over around seven years, documenting new cases of diabetes and recording the occurrence of vascular disease and death in people with pre-existing diabetes.
The findings, published in the journal PLOS Medicine, showed people who eating plenty of fresh fruit had a lower risk of developing diabetes in comparison with other participants - an estimated 0.2 per cent reduction in the absolute risk of diabetes over 5 years.
In diabetics, higher consumption of fresh fruit was associated with a lower risk of death, corresponding to an absolute decrease in risk of 1.9 per cent at five years, and with lower risks of microvascular and macrovascular complications.
Doctor Huaidong Du, of Oxford University, said: "We recruited over 500,000 Chinese adults from ten diverse areas across China during 2004-2008.
"Participants completed a detailed questionnaire interview and underwentphysical measurements and blood tests, with their health tracked subsequently for seven years.
"Among individuals who were free of diabetes - either previously diagnosed or newlydetected - at the start of the study, daily consumption of fresh fruit was associated with a 12 per cent lower relative risk of developing diabetes, compared to never or rarely consuming fresh fruit.
"In those individuals who already had diabetes prior to the start of the study, consuming fresh fruit more than three days a week was associated with a 17 per cent lower relative risk of dying from any cause and a 13 to 28 per cent lower risk of developing diabetes-related complications affecting large blood vessels - such as heart disease and stroke - and small blood vessels - kidney diseases, eye diseases, and neuropathy - than those who consumed fruit less than one day per week."
She said: "To our knowledge, this is the first large prospective study demonstrating similar inverse associations of fruit consumption with both incident diabetes and diabetic complications.
"These findings suggest that a higher intake of fresh fruit is potentially beneficial for primary and secondary prevention of diabetes.
"For individuals who have already developed diabetes, restricted consumption of fresh fruit, which is common in many parts of the world, for example China and other Asian countries, should not be encouraged."
Dr Du added: "The main limitation of this observational study is that the effects of fruit consumption can be difficult to distinguish from those of participants' other dietary and behavioural characteristics."
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