Diet and nutrition are strongly implicated in the aetiology of type 2 diabetes; low dietary fibre intake could be an important factor. Evidence from prospective observational studies has suggested that it may be low cereal fibre intake, rather than low fruit and vegetable fibre intake, which is particularly important. In this issue of Diabetologia (DOI 10.1007/s00125-015-3585-9 ) Kuijsten et al report on the prospective associations between different dietary fibre sources and type 2 diabetes risk in the European Prospective Investigation of Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-Interact study and set their findings in context with a meta-analysis of relevant published prospective studies. The results presented strengthen the evidence implicating cereal fibre as an important determinant of type 2 diabetes risk and suggest that randomised controlled trials examining the effect of cereal fibre supplementation on type 2 diabetes risk are now needed.