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Porridge can help stave off diabetes, researchers say.

Scientists found an increase in fibre, especially cereals, in the diet was linked to a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, the Daily Mail reports.

A new study shows those with the highest total fibre intake - more than 26g per day - had an 18 per cent lower risk of developing diabetes compared to those eating less than 19g a day.

Experts believe dietary fibre may help people maintain a healthy weight, which in turn reduces the chances of developing type 2 diabetes.

But cereal fibre offered the best protection, according to the study published in Diabetologia, the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes.

People with the highest levels of cereal and vegetable fibre consumption were 19 per cent and 16 per cent less likely to develop diabetes, compared with those eating the smallest amounts.

Fruit fibre did not protect against diabetes, the researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and Imperial College London found.

Good sources of cereal fibre include porridge and whole grains such as wild and brown rice.

A medium-sized bowl of muesli contains around 3g of fibre, while porridge has 3-4g of fibre. A bowl of cornflakes has only around 0.3g.

Two slices of wholemeal bread contain a similar amount of fibre to the bowl of porridge, but two slices of white bread have only around 1.3g.