| Summary: | Introduction: 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. Results and discussion: 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.
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