Diet and lifestyle modifications can substantially reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.
A study showed that eating low-fat dairy products may lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Hyon K. Choi, from Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, and colleagues from Harvard School of Public Health, prospectively, examined the relation between dairy intake and incident cases of type 2 diabetes in 41 254 male participants with no history of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer at baseline in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study.

During 12 years of follow-up, we documented 1243 cases of type 2 diabetes.

Dairy intake was associated with a modestly lower risk of type 2 diabetes.

After adjusting for potential confounders, including body mass index, physical activity, and dietary factors, men with the highest intake of dairy foods were 23 percent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those with the lowest intake ( relative risk, RR=0.77 ).

Each serving-per-day increase in total dairy intake was associated with a 9% lower risk for type 2 diabetes.

The corresponding relative risk was 0.88 for low-fat dairy intake ( 12 percent reduction in risk ) and 0.99 for high-fat dairy intake ( no significant effect ).

The association did not vary significantly according to body mass index ( <25 vs 25 kg/m2 ).

Dietary patterns characterized by higher dairy intake, especially low-fat dairy intake, may lower the risk of type 2 diabetes in men.

Source: Archives of Internal Medicine, 2005

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