Diabetes has become a global health crisis. China has the largest number of diabetic patients in the world as high as 114 million， and nearly 500 million people with pre-diabetes. Dietary intervention is essential for glycemic control in the type 2 diabetic patients. Tartary buckwheat， as both grain and medicine， plays the dual nutritional roles in staple food and glycemic regulation. In the present study， the scientific evidence， material basis and research progress of tartary buckwheat in regulating blood glucose were reviewed. It was found that there is still a lack of in-depth study on the anti-hyperglycemic effects of protein， peptide， dietary fiber and resistant starch in tartary buckwheat. Moreover， the nutritional maintenance and quality improvement of tartary buckwheat during main food processing were analyzed. Accordingly， the potential and challenges of tartary buckwheat as a main food for diabetes were proposed， in order to provide reference for further exploration of functional components of tartary buckwheat and its application as special dietary food for diabetes mellitus.