Type 2 diabetes, which accounts for the vast majority of diabetes worldwide is the result of a lowered sensitivity of the insulin receptors, resulting in impaired sugar metabolism is and chronic hyperglycaemia. There is no cure for type 2 diabetes, though some people with pre-diabetes and diabetes manage to reach and hold normal blood sugar levels, thus avoiding most of the complications that come with chronic hyperglycaemia; this is sometimes referred to as ‘reversing diabetes’. A healthy diet, with sufficient amounts of fruits, nuts, and vegetables is positively correlated with maintaining glycaemic control and prevention of diabetes-related complications. Whereas many different dietary phytochemicals have been considered to play a role in the glycaemic control and in prevention of degenerative diseases, there is currently no consensus on a particular mode of action. In this review, a range of pre-clinical studies and intervention studies, including randomised double-blind, placebo controlled clinical studies, are considered that investigate the role of dietary compounds in the prevention of type 2 diabetes-related complications. Three generic mechanisms of action can be discerned: compounds that reduce sugar uptake, compounds that restore insulin function, and compounds that attenuate the effects of oxidative stress and chronic inflammation. Particularly the latter has received wide attention in the form of activation of the Nrf2-antioxidant response element signalling pathway by various polyphenolic or triterpenoid compounds. Although individual reports may present models with clear looking signalling cascades, an overall review shows that many biologically active compounds in the human diet are pan assay interference substances that alter several cell functions simultaneously, which makes them less attractive for drug development.

2型糖尿病占全球糖尿病的绝大多数，是胰岛素受体敏感性降低的结果，导致糖代谢障碍和慢性高血糖症。尽管有些患有糖尿病前期和糖尿病的人设法达到并保持正常的血糖水平，但仍无法治愈2型糖尿病，从而避免了慢性高血糖带来的大多数并发症。这有时被称为“逆转糖尿病”。健康的饮食，充足的水果，坚果和蔬菜与维持血糖控制和预防糖尿病相关并发症呈正相关。尽管许多不同的膳食植物化学物质已被认为在血糖控制和预防退行性疾病中发挥作用，目前尚无关于特定行动方式的共识。在这篇综述中，考虑了一系列临床前研究和干预研究，包括随机双盲，安慰剂对照的临床研究，这些研究研究了饮食化合物在预防2型糖尿病相关并发症中的作用。可以识别出三种通用的作用机理：降低糖吸收的化合物，恢复胰岛素功能的化合物以及减弱氧化应激和慢性炎症作用的化合物。尤其是后者已受到各种多酚或三萜类化合物对Nrf2-抗氧化剂响应元件信号通路的激活形式的广泛关注。尽管个别报告可能会通过清晰的信令级联为模型提供模型，