Research

Mixed

Adherence to high-quality dietary patterns (specifically DASH, aHEI, or aMED scores) is associated with a 9–13% reduced risk of type 2 diabetes per 1-SD increase in score.

Adopt a dietary pattern rich in whole grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, and low-fat dairy, while limiting red/processed meat, sugar-sweetened beverages, and trans fats. This pattern (reflected in DASH, aHEI, or aMED scores) is associated with a 9–13% lower risk of type 2 diabetes. You do not need to follow every rule perfectly; focusing on these core components provides substantial benefit.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
A 1-SD increase was associated with 9–13% reduced risk (P < 0.01)
Lawrence de Koning et al. · Diabetes Care · 2011

Why this rating

Large prospective cohort (n=41,615), long follow-up (20 years), rigorous adjustment for confounders, though observational design limits causal inference.

Source

Diet-Quality Scores and the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in Men

Lawrence de Koning et al. · Diabetes Care · 2011

DOI 10.2337/dc10-2352

cohort · n=41615Cited 251×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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