Data-driven assessment, contextualisation and implementation of 134 variables in the risk for type 2 diabetes: an analysis of Lifelines, a prospective cohort study in the Netherlands.

Many variables show weak or inconsistent associations with the development of type 2 diabetes, and only a handful can reliably explain disease risk. Newly discovered risk variables will yield little over established factors, and existing prediction models can be simplified. A systematic, data-driven approach to identify risk variables for the prediction of type 2 diabetes is necessary for the practice of precision medicine.