I believe the biggest culprit in this growth are the synthetic sugars (like aspartame) and the genetically modified foods, in addition to the additives in our bread and cereal as mandated by congress. "I believe". Anyone can believe anything. Fortunately, the scientific method does not rely on "I believe" to answer questions of causation or we'd still be in the Dark Ages on a lot of things.
But using ordinary logic and inference, it is more likely the increase in diabetes in linked with the general increase in body mass than with any particular ingredient of food.
Mr. Peel was of normal weight - not overweight or obese. He suffered a massive hemorrhagic stroke 7 years ago, due to undiagnosed diabetes. Diabetes does not run in his family. We ate only "healthy" foods. Only wheat bread (no white, only margarine, no butter, only sugar-free drinks because sugar is "bad".) The moment I cut out the man-made garbage and the genetically altered crap from his diet, his blood sugar numbers went into normal territory. This was a man who, for 7 years needed 5 injections of insulin a day, now requires 0. I was the one who had to inject him with the insulin, as the stroke took away his use of the right side of his body. The ONLY difference in his recovery has been the diet. Yes, I can say "I believe" because my belief is just as valid as medical idiots who tell me that "obesity causes diabetes" --
No medical idiot can explain to me how a non-overweight man get diabetes so violently, who ate all the "right" foods. He did not/does not smoke and barely drinks. And its not genetic.