20-Year Study Finds Lifestyle Changes Cut Diabetes Risk for 115 Million U.S. Adults With Prediabetes
Updated
Updated · NPR · Jun 16
20-Year Study Finds Lifestyle Changes Cut Diabetes Risk for 115 Million U.S. Adults With Prediabetes
3 articles · Updated · NPR · Jun 16
Summary
A 20-year follow-up to a landmark diabetes trial found lifestyle interventions lowered the risk of developing diabetes in people with prediabetes.
115 million U.S. adults have prediabetes, making prevention critical because the condition is also linked to heart disease and other chronic health problems.
The findings reinforce long-term evidence that behavior changes can deliver durable benefits, not just short-term blood sugar improvements.
Related research drawing on the same long-running datasets has also tied reversing prediabetes to lower cardiovascular risks, underscoring remission and prevention as key public-health targets.
Is an anti-inflammatory diet more powerful than new drugs for reversing prediabetes and preventing a fatal heart attack?
Beyond weight loss, what is the secret to shifting dangerous fat to achieve long-term heart health and remission?
Reversing Prediabetes Reduces Heart Disease by Half: Evidence, Mechanisms, and Healthcare Transformation
Overview
Prediabetes affects over a billion people worldwide, with high rates in countries like the UK, US, and China. Landmark studies such as the Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study and the DaQing Diabetes Prevention Study have shown that reversing prediabetes—achieving remission—dramatically and lastingly reduces the risk of serious heart diseases. This discovery marks a major shift in how we approach heart disease, moving beyond just preventing type 2 diabetes. The evidence highlights that targeting prediabetes remission can offer long-term protection for heart health, making it a crucial new strategy in global disease prevention.