General characteristics of all participants (n=63 890) included in the systematic review and meta-analysis
| Characteristic | Cumulative value | Number of studies |
| Age in years (mean±SD) | 54.9±4.7 | 88 |
| Gender – females (%, 95% CI) | 55.3, 52.7 to 57.8 | 101 |
| Smokers (%, 95% CI) | 9.9, 0.5 to 55.6 | 44 |
| Participants on OHA (%, 95% CI) | 65.0, 34.0 to 96.6 | 51 |
| Participants on insulin (%, 95% CI) | 31.3, 26.3 to 36.2 | 52 |
| Participants on lipid-lowering agents (%, 95% CI) | 25.7, 0.5 to 86.7 | 14 |
| Participants on anti-hypertensive agents (%, 95% CI) | 73.3, 64.1 to 82.5 | 18 |
| BMI in kg/m2 (mean±SD) | 27.9±0.5 | 40 |
| HbA1c in % (mean±SD) | 9.0±1.5 | 40 |
| HbA1c in mmol/mol (mean±SD) | 75.0±1.5 | 40 |
BMI, body mass index; HbA1c, glycated haemoglobin; OHA, oral hypoglycaemic agents.