Diet and type 2 diabetes mellitus/cardiovascular disease outcomes: an evidence check rapid review

Traditionally, dietary advice to lower type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) risk has largely focused on the intake of individual nutrients. In recent years, the emphasis has shifted from a single-nutrient approach to providing guidance on food-based dietary patterns. This rapid review aimed to analyse the evidence from systematic reviews published since 2018 on dietary patterns, individual foods/food groups and nutrient intakes/healthy eating goals for the prevention of T2DM and CVD. Forty-nine systematic reviews, meeting the inclusion criteria, reported T2DM outcomes and forty-eight reviews reported CVD outcomes. The systematic reviews were critically appraised and GRADE analysis of the evidence performed. A total of 13 graded evidence recommendations were made, eight for the prevention of T2DM and five for the prevention of CVD.