A major new study has found that following certain healthy diets may help lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, no matter your ethnic background.
The research, led by Ms. Jia Yi Lee and Professor Nita Forouhi from the University of Cambridge in the UK, involved over 800,000 people.
The results will be presented at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Vienna, Austria, from September 15 to 19, 2025.
The researchers looked at three well-known healthy eating plans: the Mediterranean Diet, the Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI), and the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension). These diets have been recommended for years because they support overall health and may help prevent long-term diseases.
To carry out the study, the researchers searched for published studies that reported on the link between these three diets and type 2 diabetes. They found 33 studies that included people from different backgrounds.
When they combined the results, they discovered that people who followed these diets most closely had a much lower chance of getting type 2 diabetes compared to people who didn’t follow the diets well.
More specifically, people who were in the top 10% for following each diet had lower risks of diabetes: 17% lower for the Mediterranean Diet, 21% lower for AHEI, and 23% lower for the DASH diet.
One of the most important findings was that these benefits were seen across people from many different ethnic backgrounds—including African, Asian, European, and Hispanic groups. Even though eating habits and diabetes risk can vary between these groups, the positive effects of these diets remained the same.
For some groups, like Hispanics or people from mixed backgrounds, the lower risk wasn’t always statistically strong. But this could be because there were fewer studies involving these populations.
In fact, more than one-third of the people in the study were from European backgrounds. The researchers say this highlights the need for more studies that include people from other parts of the world.
The authors concluded that healthy diets like the Mediterranean, AHEI, and DASH should be promoted for everyone, no matter where they come from. These diets focus on eating more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and healthy fats, and cutting back on processed foods and sugar.
This study is part of a bigger project looking at how different types of diets—including vegetarian and vegan diets—may affect the risk of type 2 diabetes. The researchers plan to keep studying whether these diets offer the same benefits to people of all ethnic groups.
If you care about diabetes, please read studies about How to choosing the right fruits for type 2 diabetes and findings of New higher dose diabetes drug promises better blood sugar control and weight loss.
For more about diabetes, please read studies about The hidden connection between cancer and diabetes uncovered and findings of Scientists find the best way to help people with diabetes lose weight.
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