People with prediabetes are encouraged to shed excess weight to avoid developing full-blown diabetes. Researchers have discovered that the most effective protection against diabetes occurs when individuals not only lose weight but also normalize their blood sugar levels.
Diabetes is a common condition linked to a higher risk of serious health complications like stroke, heart attack, and kidney failure. Addressing prediabetes, the early stage of type 2 diabetes, with timely interventions is crucial to prevent the disease from progressing. The findings from the study led by Reiner Jumpertz-von Schwartzenberg suggest that modifying the focus of early lifestyle interventions can help reduce the overall incidence of diabetes.
Risk of Diabetes Skyrocketing with Prediabetes
Prediabetes is diagnosed when blood sugar levels are high but not high enough to be classified as type 2 diabetes, and glucose tolerance is compromised. To halt the progression from prediabetes to diabetes, individuals are advised to shed excess weight. Guidelines, such as those from the American Diabetes Association (ADA), recommend a weight loss of at least 7 percent. This recommendation is based on the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) study.
Prevention through Lifestyle Changes
The team of researchers from various institutions evaluated the effectiveness of weight loss alone versus weight loss coupled with reducing blood sugar levels to induce remission of prediabetes. They studied 480 individuals with prediabetes who had undergone a one-year lifestyle intervention resulting in a 7 percent reduction in body weight. Among them, 114 achieved remission of prediabetes by normalizing fasting blood sugar, glucose tolerance, and HbA1c levels. However, most participants did not see notable improvements in blood sugar levels despite successful weight loss, and their prediabetes persisted.
The study revealed that the group achieving both weight loss and prediabetes remission had significantly fewer incidences of developing diabetes afterward. Those who achieved normalization of blood sugar levels experienced a 76 percent reduced relative risk of developing diabetes compared to those who did not achieve remission. The absolute risk reduction exceeded 10%.
The authors, Jumpertz-von Schwartzenberg and Andreas Birkenfeld, emphasized the importance of prediabetes remission in addition to weight loss, as it significantly enhances diabetes prevention efforts. They recommend integrating the goal of achieving prediabetes remission in clinical guidelines to enhance the prevention of type 2 diabetes.
