A new analysis of more than 800,000 people suggests that three well-known healthy eating patterns — the Mediterranean Diet, the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) and the Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI) — are linked to a significantly lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, regardless of ethnicity.
The findings, which will be presented at the upcoming European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) Annual Meeting in Vienna, combine results from 33 studies to provide one of the most comprehensive looks yet at how these dietary patterns relate to diabetes risk.
Researchers found that people with the highest adherence to each diet had a substantially lower risk of type 2 diabetes compared to those with the lowest adherence: a 17% lower risk for the Mediterranean Diet, a 21% lower risk for AHEI and a 23% lower risk for DASH.
Importantly, these benefits were consistent across African, Asian, European and Hispanic populations. While some results among Hispanic and mixed-ethnicity groups did not reach statistical significance, the researchers noted this was likely due to limited available data for these populations.
“Although more research is needed in specific populations, this study strengthens the evidence that the Mediterranean, AHEI and DASH dietary patterns may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes across diverse ethnic groups, and that they can be promoted across all populations,” the authors said.
All three eating patterns emphasize fruits, vegetables, whole grains and healthy fats, while limiting added sugars and highly processed foods. The Mediterranean Diet focuses on olive oil, nuts, legumes and fish; DASH is designed to lower blood pressure by prioritizing produce, lean proteins and low-fat dairy; and AHEI scores diets based on how closely they align with evidence-based nutrition guidelines.
No funding information was provided in the conference materials.