A team of Cochrane Researchers have suggested that there is no clear indication that dietary advice and healthy lifestyle changes alone can prevent type 2 diabetes.
Two trials involving 358 participants were able to be identified, providing too little evidence for a definitive result.
Lead researcher Lucie Nield from the Centre for Food, Physical Activity & Obesity at the University of Teesside, UK, said: "Considering the importance of this disorder, we were disappointed to find such a small amount of relevant data.
"These two studies give grounds for believing that dietary advice alone could play an important role in reducing type 2 diabetes, but we do need more well-designed, long-term studies before we can work out the best advice to give."
Previous studies have demonstrated a link between type 2 diabetes and obesity, with 80 per cent of those who develop the disease being obese.
According to the World Health Organization, it is estimated that more than 180 million people across the globe have diabetes.
