Patients who followed a Mediterranean diet and other low-carbohydrate diets reduced their likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes, according to data recently published in Diabetologia.

The researchers examined data from the Greek cohort of the population-based European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study to calculate diet adherence and corresponding outcomes of diabetes risk over 11.34 years.

The patients (n=22,295) were administered an interviewed food frequency questionnaire at baseline in which a Mediterranean diet score (MDS) was developed to determine results.

According to data, 2,330 patients developed type 2 diabetes. Higher MDS were inversely linked with risk for diabetes (HR=0.88; 95% CI, 0.78-0.99), for scores of ≥6 compared with scores of ≤3, researchers wrote.

Glycemic load were also positively linked to diabetes (HR=1.21; 95% CI, 1.05-1.40) for the highest glycemic load compared with the lowest glycemic load quartile, researchers wrote.

Furthermore, patients who adhered to a high MDS and a low glycemic load demonstrated about a 20% protection against the incidence for diabetes, according to data.

“These data indicate that both the Mediterranean diet and a low glycemic load/glycemic index diet were associated with a lower diabetes risk,” researchers wrote.

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.