Researchers have found more evidence linking diet to type 2 diabetes.

Scientists at the University of California, San Diego, teamed with Japanese researchers to find a molecular link between a high-fat, or Western-style, diet, and the onset of type 2 diabetes. In mice studies, the scientists showed that a high-fat diet disrupts insulin production, resulting in the classic signs of type 2 diabetes.

The findings are published in Thursday's issue of the journal Cell.

The study found that knocking out a single gene encoding the enzyme GnT-4a glycosyltransferase disrupts insulin production. Researchers suggested that people with an inherited predisposition to type 2 diabetes might have variations in the gene for GnT-4a.

The team fed normal mice a high-fat diet, and found that GnT-4a gene expression was reduced, leading to the development of type 2 diabetes in the mice.

"If our findings can be applied to humans, they should give us important insights into how type 2 diabetes may be prevented and treated," lead researcher Jamey Marth said.

Worldwide, more than 200 million people have type 2 diabetes, and about 20 million people in the United States have been diagnosed with the disorder, according to the study.

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