For some people, the idea that dried fruit – particularly raisins – might reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes seems counterintuitive. Or even nuts.

This is because critics of dried fruit say they’re no better than candy and should be avoided whenever possible.

But a new study has found that increasing dried fruit intake by about 1.3 pieces daily may lower the risk of type 2 diabetes by up to 60.8 per cent.

The study found 1.3 pieces of dried fruit a day – and here the researchers looked at raisins, apricots and widely celebrated prunes – is pretty modest. You’re not going to send your blood sugar spiking.

The second take-away: Despite the modest serving, the impact on type 2 diabetes risk is significant.

A range of health benefits

Dried fruits are fruits that have had almost all of the water removed through drying.

What’s left is fructose (sugar found naturally in fruit), fibre, micro-nutrients and antioxidants.

One raisin contains about the same amount of nutrients as a fresh grape. It’s simply condensed in a smaller package.

According to Healthline, by weight, dried fruit contains up to 3.5 times the fibre, vitamins and minerals of fresh fruit.

The benefit here is that “one serving can provide a large percentage of the daily recommended intake of many vitamins and minerals, such as folate”.

In other words, dried fruits are an efficient way of getting many of the nutrients we need. They’re almost like pills.

Overall, eating dried fruit is associated with a better quality of diet and a reduced risk of obesity.

A report at Medical News Today suggested that this rich array of nutrients – in particular, the abundance of antioxidants – might lower the risk of type 2 diabetes by reducing stress in the body.

This could, overall, “help the body more easily regulate sugar”.

The polyphenols antioxidants, prominent in dried fruits, cool inflammation, have vasodilator properties (improved blood flow), and improve digestive health as a prebiotic. Notably, they lower oxidative damage.

The trick is, to get the health benefits of dried fruit, stick to a small portion size.

Where the ‘candy’ charge comes from

Some dried fruits – such as cherries, cranberries and bananas – are candied with sucrose, the fancy name for white sugar.

Excess sucrose leads to blood sugar spikes, insulin resistance, weight gain and fatty liver disease.

On the other hand, raisins have a low-to-medium glycemic index value, and a low insulin index.

This means that raisins should not cause major spikes in blood sugar or insulin levels after meals.

How was the study conducted?

Researchers from Honghui Hospital, Xi’an Jiaotong University, China, analysed Genome-Wide Association Study data to “explore the causal association of dried fruit intake” with type 2 diabetes.

These data included 421,764 participants’ responses to questionnaires regarding the number of dried fruits they habitually consumed daily.

One prune, a single apricot, and 10 raisins were all considered one portion for the purposes of the questionnaire.

The abundance of soluble fibre in dried fruit is another explanation why raisins and prunes etc, will lower your risk of type 2 diabetes.

If you already have diabetes or pre-diabetes, fibre helps with blood sugar control and weight management.

It can also lower your risk of heart disease, a common diabetes complication.

Because fibre isn’t digested, it moves slowly through the stomach, making you feel fuller for longer.

This can help you lose or maintain your weight. And weight loss is the best protection against type 2 diabetes.