Consumption of trans fat (from margarine, breakfast cereals etc) significantly increases the risk of type II diabetes

This study was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2001 Jun;73(6):1019-26

Study title and authors:
Dietary fat intake and risk of type 2 diabetes in women.

Salmerón J, Hu FB, Manson JE, Stampfer MJ, Colditz GA, Rimm EB, Willett WC.
Departments of Nutrition and Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston 02115, USA.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11382654

The objective of the study was to examine the relationship between dietary fat intake and the risk of type II diabetes. The study lasted 14 years and followed 84,204 women aged 34-59 years who had no diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or cancer at the start of the trial.

The study found:
(a) For every 5% increase in total fat consumption the risk of developing type II diabetes decreased by 2%.
(b) For every 5% increase in saturated fat consumption the risk of developing type II diabetes decreased by 3%.
(c) For every 2% increase in Trans fats (such as margarine, breakfast cereals, cookies, cakes, non-dairy "cream" etc.) the risk of developing type II diabetes increased by 39%.

This study suggests that a higher consumption of saturated fat reduces the risk of type II diabetes, whereas a higher consumption of trans fat (from margarine, breakfast cereals etc) significantly increases the risk of type II diabetes.

Links to other studies:
A high fat/low carbohydrate diet reduces high blood sugar levels
High fat, low carbohydrate diets are an effective tool in the treatment of diabetes
High-fat diets are better than high-carbohydrate diets in the treatment of type 2 diabetes