Diet Key to Diabetes Risk

"Modest weight loss, rather than macronutrient composition, may be the dominant predictor of reduced risk of diabetes," Tinker said. "The beauty of a low-fat diet that includes lots of vegetables and fruits is that it is sustainable," she said.

Dr. David L. Katz, director of the Prevention Research Center at Yale University School of Medicine, thinks that these studies confirm that diet is an important component of producing the risk of diabetes.

"An excess of simple sugar tends to be bad for health and to promote both weight gain and the development of diabetes," Katz said. "An abundant intake of fruits and vegetables defends health and defends against diabetes."

In addition, portion control helps prevent obesity, and by so doing, helps prevent diabetes, Katz said. "The power of diet has been well-established in both diabetes control and prevention. The Diabetes Prevention Program demonstrated a 58 percent reduction in the occurrence of diabetes in high-risk adults with a balanced, wholesome, mostly plant-based diet in combination with regular physical activity," he added.

Dr. Mark N. Feinglos, chief of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Nutrition at Duke University Medical Center, and author of an accompanying editorial, no specific food by itself increases the risk for diabetes, rather it's eating too much and gaining too much weight.

"But it's clear that high fructose corn syrup is not a good actor, and it's everywhere now," Feinglos said. "People who have a lot of beverages with high fructose corn syrup are not compensating by having fewer other calories, and it may not function to allow you to feel full, he said. "High fructose corn syrup may also cause liver problems and insulin resistance."

"At this point, all we can say is -- calories trump everything," he said. "All these high-density, empty calorie foods that are adding to the caloric load of the population and making it heavier are the real culprits."

In another study in the same journal, John M. Jakicic, from the University of Pittsburgh, and colleagues found that exercise, as well is diet, is important in maintaining weight loss.

The researchers found that among a group of women who all had lost about 10 pounds, only about 25 percent maintain their weight loss. Moreover these were the women who exercised about 55 minutes a day five days a week.

"This clarifies the amount of physical activity that should be targeted for achieving and sustaining this magnitude of weight loss, but also demonstrates the difficulty of sustaining this level of physical activity," the authors wrote.

More information

For more about diabetes, visit the American Diabetes Association.