At present, the common food nutrients with hypoglycemic effect were divided into five categories: water-soluble dietary fiber, polysaccharides, flavonoids, saponins, trace elements. Animal experiments are mostly used to study the hypoglycemic effect of related nutrients. The hypoglycemic efficacy and its mechanism of the nutrients with different variety, different sources and different doses on diabetic mice and rats were systematically analyzed and summarized, in order to provide scientific and reasonable suggestions about the daily dietary choice for diabetic patients, and to offer reference for the research and development of health food suitable for diabetic patients.