• 'Excess body fat, a summary measure of several aspects of diet and physical activity, is the strongest risk factor for type 2 diabetes, both in terms of clearest evidence base and largest relative risk.'

• 'there is a strong link [for type 2 diabetes] with overweight and obesity'

Effect of dietary patterns on type 2 diabetes

• 'Western-type diets, characterised mainly by high intakes of red meat and processed meat (for example delicatessen meats), potato and refined cereal products, full-fat dairy products and butter, and poor in fruits and vegetables, pulses, wholegrain cereal products and fish, increase the risk of type 2 diabetes with a probable level of evidence.'

• 'Moderate evidence indicates that healthy dietary patterns higher in vegetables, fruits, and whole grains and lower in red and processed meats, high-fat dairy products, refined grains, and sweets/sugar-sweetened beverages reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.'

• Dietary patterns, such as the traditional Mediterranean dietary pattern, the New Nordic Diet and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH diet) are associated with lower risks of diabetes.

Effect of fruit and vegetable intake

• 'Increased vegetable intake reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes with probable evidence. This particularly applies to the group of cruciferous vegetables (cabbage etc.)'.
• '[…] possible evidence [fruit intake] reduces risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus'.

Effect of fibre and whole grain intake

• 'there is evidence of benefit to health associated with consumption of diets rich in fibre-containing foods at dietary fibre intakes greater than 25 g per day, e.g. reduced risk of coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes and improved weight maintenance.'

• The consumption of wholegrain cereal products reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes, CVD and colorectal cancer, with a probable level of evidence.

• 'There is probable evidence suggesting that a high intake of dietary fibre from cereal grains probably reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus.'
• '[A]n increased intake of whole grain products was associated with reduced risk particularly of type 2 diabetes.'

• 'a diet rich in dietary fibre is associated with a lower incidence of […] type 2 diabetes mellitus […].'
• 'Higher cereal fibre consumption is associated with a lower incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus […].'
• There is moderate evidence that higher consumption of whole grain bread and whole grains is associated with reduced incidence of type 2 diabetes.

Effect of sugars, sweeteners and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) intake

ANSES 2016b (pdf)

• '[… ] sugar consumption beyond a certain quantity presents health risks due to direct effects on weight gain and the increase in triglyceride and uric acid levels, as well as indirect effects on type 2 diabetes and certain cancers, diseases that are currently major public health issues.'
• There is probable evidence that the risk of type 2 diabetes is increased with higher consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages.

• Based on limited evidence, there is 'no consistent evidence of an association between diets differing in the proportion of sugars in relation to incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus'. Sucrose and fructose were also individually examined, with the same findings.
• Based on moderate evidence, ‘an association was found between greater sugars-sweetened beverage consumption and higher incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus.’ ‘The direction of the association indicates that greater consumption of sugars-sweetened beverages is detrimental to health. The association is biologically relevant’. Insufficient evidence for this association was found for fruit juices.

• 'Consumption of one to two glasses of sugar-containing beverages a day leads to a higher risk of diabetes'
• those findings are also valid for other sugar-containing beverages, such as fruit juice and sweetened milk drinks

• 'No benefits of intense sweeteners consumption on preventing the occurrence of type 2 diabetes have been demonstrated.'

• 'Strong evidence shows that higher consumption of added sugars, especially sugar-sweetened beverages, increases the risk of type 2 diabetes among adults and this relationship is not fully explained by body weight.'

Effect of protein and protein sources intake on type 2 diabetes

• Evidence was assessed as suggestive regarding the relation of total and animal protein intake to increased risk of type 2 diabetes.

• 'The consumption of red meat and processed meats (including delicatessen meats) increases the risk of […] type 2 diabetes, with a "probable" level of evidence'
• '[T]otal consumption of dairy products (including milk) probably reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes […]. With regard to the types of dairy products, the relationship seems better demonstrated for yoghurts, cheese and reduced-fat dairy products.'

• Regular physical activity reduces the risk of diabetes and the risk of raised blood glucose

• 'At present there is sufficient evidence to show that those who live a physically active life can gain a number of health benefits, including […] low incidence of type 2 diabetes.'

• Increased levels of physical activity are associated with lower incidence of type 2 diabetes.
• 'Strong evidence demonstrates a significant relationship between greater time spent in sedentary behavior and higher risk of type 2 diabetes.' 'Limited evidence suggests the existence of a direct, graded dose-response relationship between sedentary behavior and risk of type 2 diabetes.'

• 'harmful use of alcohol is one of the key risk factors for the development of NCDs’ (including cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, cancer, diabetes)

• Heavy drinking can cause different stages of alcoholic liver disease; steatosis (fatty liver), alcoholic hepatitis, liver fibrosis, and cirrhosis. Complications of cirrhosis include jaundice, type 2 diabetes, and liver cancer.
• Long-term excessive alcohol consumption can cause chronic pancreatitis, which is a risk factor for the development of diabetes and pancreatic cancer.

• 'the findings regarding moderate alcohol consumption include both favourable and unfavourable associations between alcohol consumption and chronic diseases risk [including diabetes], while higher consumption levels are associated with higher risks of chronic diseases.'
• 'People who drink alcohol should limit themselves to one glass a day. The distribution of alcohol consumption is also important: although one glass a day is acceptable, an average of one glass a day resulting from occasional or regular binge drinking is undesirable.'

• Emerging evidence [exists] of a link between smoking and type 2 diabetes risk. Smoking increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, as well as the risk of diabetes-related complications

• 'The evidence is sufficient to infer that cigarette smoking is a cause of diabetes.'
• 'The risk of developing diabetes is 30–40% higher for active smokers than nonsmokers.'
• 'There is a positive dose-response relationship between the number of cigarettes smoked and the risk of developing diabetes.'