title: Dairy products consumption versus type 2 diabetes prevention and treatment; a review of recent findings from human studies.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It has been claimed that the appropriate consumption of dairy products can be beneficial for the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this review is to critically analyze the main scientific evidence about this topic.
  
  
  METHODS
  MEDLINE, PubMEd, Science Direct, SCIELO and LILACS were searched for studies published over the past 12 years exploring the effects of the consumption of dairy products or its components (calcium, vitamin D and magnesium) on T2DM.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Epidemiological studies indicate that consumption of at least three servings of low-fat dairy products per day as a part of a healthy diet is crucial to reduce the risk of developing T2DM. The majority of the analyzed intervention studies reported beneficial effects of increased calcium and vitamin D ingestion on insulin sensitivity improvement and T2DM prevention.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although the impact of dairy consumption to treat T2DM needs further investigation, the consumption of low-fat dairy products may be an important strategy to prevent and control T2DM.
authors.affiliation: Nutrition and Health Department. Federal University of Viçosa. Brazil.
authors.forename: Flávia Galvão
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: Cândido
authors.affiliation: Nutrition and Health Department. Federal University of Viçosa. Brazil.
authors.forename: Winder Tadeu Silva
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Ton
authors.forename: Rita de Cássia Gonçalves
authors.initials: Rde C
authors.lastname: Alfenas
mesh_terms: D003611:Dairy Products; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans