Eating four eggs a week reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by a third, whilst consuming high fat dairy products can also lower your risk levels.
A University of Eastern Finland led study has demonstrated that men who ate four eggs a week had a 37 per cent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those who ate just one.
The research, which examined the eating habits of 2,332 men, aged between 42 and 60, also found a connection between egg consumption and lowered blood sugar levels.
The scientists found that the links remained strong, even when variations in physical activity, body mass index, smoking and fruit and vegetable consumption were accounted for.
Eating more than four eggs a week was not shown to bring any extra benefits and those who already have type 2 diabetes should not increase their egg intake.
This research comes as another group of Scandinavian scientists claim that eating full-fat dairy products can also cut the risk of developing the disease.
Those who eat high fat dairy products have a 23 per cent lower risk of developing the disease, according to researchers at Lund University, Sweden.
This second study, which looks at how different types of saturated fat consumption affects diabetes risk, also found that consuming high fat meat increased the risk.
Dr Ulrika Ericson said: "Those who ate the most high-fat dairy products had a 23 per cent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those who ate the least.
"High meat consumption was linked to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes regardless of the fat content of the meat. ‘When we investigated the consumption of saturated fatty acids that are slightly more common in dairy products than in meat, we observed a link with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes.
"However, we have not ruled out the possibility that other components of dairy products such as yogurt and cheese may have contributed to our results.
"Moreover, different food components can interact with each other. For example, in one study, saturated fat in cheese appeared to have less of a cholesterol-raising effect than saturated fat in butter.
"Our results suggest that we should not focus solely on fat, but rather consider what foods we eat. Many foodstuffs contain different components that are harmful or beneficial to health, and it is the overall balance that is important,"she added.
Six per cent of Britons suffer from diabetes, with most of these cases being the type 2 variety, according to Diabetes UK .Reuse content