A 1plant-based diet could help 2prevent 3type 2 diabetes. That’s according to a new study in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.

Researchers found that people who ate a plant-based diet 4lowered their 5risk of getting type 2 diabetes by 23 percent. When 6sticking to the healthier items like fresh fruits and 7veggies, 8whole grains, nuts and 9legumes, and holding those beverages 10sweetened with sugar and 11refined 12carbs, they lowered their risk even more by another 30 percent.

The 13benefits of the plant-based diet are seen 14in conjunction though with regular exercise and activity. But the results were true among all 15participants 16regardless of age or starting 17body mass index. Researchers stressed too that people don’t need to be fully 18vegetarian to enjoy the benefits. The Mediterranean diet and the 19DASH diet are both plant-based, but include fish and 20poultry.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about one in every 10 people here in the U.S. has diabetes, and up to 95 percent of those cases are type 2, which is life-style related.