A narrative review of what cohorts have taught us and how they have laid the foundation for much of our understanding of type 2 diabetes
Year: 2026
Type: review
Abstract: This narrative review provides a historical perspective on how observational research on type 2 diabetes has been developed and consolidated over the last 50 years and how well-designed cohort studies will provide us with knowledge for research and practice in the future and aid guideline development. We have included data from a large number of cohorts from every continent that have been used to study the development and/or progression of type 2 diabetes, including cohorts that are general population-based, disease-based, intervention-based and registry-based. We have structured the results from the past 50 years based on the following themes: diagnosis and screening, complications, risk factors and pathophysiology. We also discuss the strengths and weaknesses of observational research when compared with other research designs. Finally, we discuss the emerging and future directions for type 2 diabetes research using cohorts, which include novel developments, such as artificial intelligence, precision health and the exposome. We conclude that cohort research has significantly advanced our understanding of type 2 diabetes and aided guideline development, and complements experimental work, such as human randomised controlled trials and animal studies. Both approaches are essential and complementary in our pursuit to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the development and progression of type 2 diabetes, and to change dogma, practice and policies for better outcomes.
Source: Diabetologia
Authors: Sun H. Kim, Ipsa Arora, Charles Agyemang, Ranjit M. Anjana, Bjørn Olav Åsvold, Marieke Blom, Shilpa N. Bhupathiraju, Amélie Bonnefond, Juliana C. N. Chan, Timothy M. E. Davis, Kristian Hveem, Marit E. Jørgensen, Anton Lager, Lars Lind, Olle Melander, Andrea Natali, Jackie Price, Parminder Raina, Michael Roden, Olov Rolandsson, Mary R. Rooney, Seyed Mohammad Mousavi, Andrei C. Sposito, Reimar W. Thomsen, Barbara Thorand, Rob M. Van Dam, Kavita Venkataraman, Sarah H. Wild, Ji Hee Yu, Petra J. M. Elders, Joline W. Beulens, Femke Rutters
Institutions: Stanford Medicine, Stanford University, Central Maine Medical Center, Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Amsterdam UMC Location University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Public Health, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, University of Amsterdam, Indian Council of Medical Research, Madras Diabetes Research Foundation, Dr. Mohan's Diabetes Specialities Centre, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, St Olav's University Hospital, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard University, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Inserm, Université de Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, European Genomic Institute for Diabetes, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, The University of Western Australia, Fremantle Hospital, Karolinska Institutet, Uppsala University, Lund University, Skåne University Hospital, University of Pisa, University of Edinburgh, McMaster University, Düsseldorf University Hospital, Deutsches Diabetes-Zentrum e.V., German Center for Diabetes Research, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Umeå University, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Aarhus University, Aarhus University Hospital, Helmholtz Munich, Institut für Medizinische Informationsverarbeitung, Biometrie und Epidemiologie, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, George Washington University, National University of Singapore, Korea University, Korea University Medical Center
Language: English
Subfield: Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,490
OpenAlex ID: W7204250931