In Australia, an estimated 1.7 million people have diabetes - with an estimated 500,000 said to be undiagnosed type 2 diabetics.

The lifetime risk of developing type 2 diabetes is at least one in three; this means that every third person is likely to develop type 2 diabetes during their life.

This risk is not something that starts in older age - many people mistakenly believe type 2 diabetes only affects older people. In fact, it can start affecting people in their 20s and 30s.

The disease is estimated to cost the Australian healthcare system $14.6 billion per year.

"Diabetes is the fastest growing health condition in Australia," says Professor Grant Brinkworth, co-author of the latest lifestyle solution from the CSIRO, The CSIRO Low Carb Diabetes Diet and Lifestyle Solution.

"The solution is about helping people get on top of their diabetes today so they don't experience all those many complications that go with it down the track."

Professor Brinkworth says while many factors contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes - such as age, gender and family history - lifestyle factors are fundamental drivers.

What we eat and drink, whether we smoke, whether we exercise and how much sedentary time we spend in our daily lives - these all play a major part in determining our vulnerability to the disease.

"The premise of all good healthy eating is eating whole, nutrient-dense, low-energy foods and that's what the book is based on, the premise of principles of good nutrition," he says.

It's about eating from all the major food groups, portion control and reducing the amount of discretionary foods in our diets.

"We should be aiming for about 50-70 grams of high-quality carbohydrates a day, with proportionally balanced amounts of protein and healthy fats to meet our individual needs," he says.

Exercise is also vital.

"The book includes a home-based, resistance-training exercise plan," he says.

Type 2 diabetes affects the body's ability to metabolise or use glucose (a sugar that is a vital metabolic fuel for the body) in cells, resulting in impaired glucose metabolism.

With type 2 diabetes, your body does not either does not produce enough insulin, or it resists the efforts of insulin to properly control blood glucose levels.

After eating a meal, blood glucose levels will rise, particularly if that meal is rich in sugars or carbohydrate-rich foods that digest down into glucose. In response insulin is released from the pancreas which causes glucose to move from our bloodstream to our muscles and liver, where it is stored.

When glucose metabolism is disrupted and our insulin isn't able to move the glucose from our blood, the glucose level is our blood increases and remains elevated. This can lead to "pre-diabetes", a condition that can be present for years before type 2 diabetes occurs.