What role could yogurt, dairy and plant compounds play in type 2 diabetes prevention and management? At the 43rd International Symposium on Diabetes & Nutrition (DNSG) 2026, one of the leading international conferences dedicated to diabetes, nutrition and metabolic health, researchers shared emerging evidence that is helping to reshape our understanding of dietary approaches to prevention and management. In this article, Dr Nicola Guess reflects on key insights from the conference, exploring the latest research on dairy foods, polyphenols and personalised nutrition.
Key Takeaways from DNSG 2026
At a Glance
- The relationship between dairy foods and type 2 diabetes is becoming increasingly nuanced.
- Emerging research suggests yogurt may influence pathways involved in glucose regulation.
- Polyphenol rich foods continue to show promise for diabetes prevention.
- Personalised nutrition based on microbiome characteristics is moving closer to reality.
- Practical dietary advice remains central to prevention strategies.
Expert Reflections
I was grateful to attend the 43rd International Symposium on Diabetes and Nutrition, which took place in Montbrió del Camp, Spain, from 15th to 18th June 2026. This symposium is the annual meeting of the International Diabetes and Nutrition Study Group (DNSG). I was particularly interested in this conference as both my academic research and clinical work focusses on type 2 diabetes prevention and management.
One area in nutrition where emerging evidence has helped us add greater nuance to dietary advice is dairy. For example, as a practising dietitian, and knowing that people with type 2 diabetes are at significantly increased risk of cardiovascular disease, my dietary advice to patients has traditionally been to limit saturated fat intake, including from higher-fat dairy products.
However, more recent evidence indicates that certain sub-groups of high fat dairy – yoghurts and cheese – do not seem to have the same LDL-cholesterol raising effect as butter. Therefore, I was glad to attend the Danone sponsored session on dairy entitled “The good, the bad and the ugly: from the outdated vision of dairy products to current knowledge” to learn more about dairy and its role in health
The speakers presented data from both epidemiological studies and trials on the relationship between yoghurt intake (including low- and high-fat) and risk of type 2 diabetes. The speakers described the consistent relationship between low-fat or fat-free yoghurt intake and a reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes in observational studies. Some prospective studies suggest that full fat yogurt may also be associated with a lower Type 2 diabetes risk, but these studies are smaller, and overall the evidence base is less extensive than for total yogurt consumption. We also heard evidence from randomised controlled trials that yoghurt influences some of the underlying pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes, although the totality of the data is not consistent.
We know that dietary randomised controlled trials are very hard to do and that the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes is hard to measure. This might partly explain why these data are not always consistent. Therefore, I was very pleased to see some planned work presented by Jean-Philippe Drouin-Chartier from Université Laval, who will be measuring biomarkers of yoghurt intake (both low- and high-fat) in carefully controlled trials. If we can understand which biomarkers alter in response to very precise dairy intake under controlled conditions we may be able to develop robust signatures for dairy intake. Firstly, this will allow us to assess dairy intake objectively in larger observational and controlled trials. And second, it may also help us to understand the mechanisms underlying how dairy affects glucose homeostasis and other health conditions. One of the striking points made by all the speakers in this session is that we don’t know which nutritional components in yoghurt have beneficial effects on glucose homeostasis – it may be its probiotic qualities, perhaps certain amino acids, micronutrients or – perhaps likely - a combination of all.
I also think this area of science is really exciting because if we can capture which components of dairy help improve glucose homeostasis, we may be able to design non-dairy alternatives (eg soy based products) which have the benefits of dairy for people who are unable to, or who choose not to, consume dairy such as vegans.
Another area where new data may add nuance to our guidelines is in the area of phytonutrients, specifically polyphenols. The guidance to consume “5 a day” has been a stalwart of nutrition for as long as I can remember. An emerging question is whether specific types of plants may offer strong enough benefits that we should be specifically recommend such foods in guidelines. Therefore - I was interested to learn more about this area in a session on polyphenols. We saw observational data on the relationship between polyphenols intake and risk of type 2 diabetes - with data suggesting that people could intentionally select specific flavonoid subclasses to improve their diets and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. It was also refreshing to hear the speakers making practical recommendations. One of the speakers, Aedin Cassidy emphasised that people don’t need to significantly alter their diets; simply balancing tea intake (popular with us Brits!) with berries and nuts offers a good mix of subclasses.
A final highlight for me was the presentation by Ana Rodriguez-Mateos at King’s College London who is doing some really exciting work on “personalised” nutrition for polyphenols. There is a lot of hype about the importance and relevance of the microbiome in human health, but very little robust data. While lots of trials collect results and then go back and see whether the results differ based on microbiome composition (we call this post hoc analysis, and it is a pretty weak type of analysis), Dr Rodriguez-Mateos is establishing whether people have meaningfully different microbiomes first, and then randomising them to polyphenol exposure. We call this an “a priori” design and it is the strongest design to see whether we really can design diets based on people’s microbiomes.
All in all, it was a good mix of strong science with some practical take homes too. Although we know that weight loss is the most effective way of preventing type 2 diabetes for most people, we need to help patients put this advice into practice. It's also very helpful to have dietary guidance which is effective irrespective of weight loss. It was good to know from this conference that we can recommend easy practical public health guidance to help people achieve this such as enjoying your tea, snack on an apple, and have yoghurt with berries for dessert.
Looking ahead
The conference highlighted how diabetes nutrition science continues to evolve. While further research is needed, emerging evidence on dairy foods, polyphenols and personalised nutrition is helping to refine our understanding of how dietary approaches can support type 2 diabetes prevention and management.
