Prediabetes remission linked to lower long-term heart risk
King’s College London researchers found normalizing blood sugar in prediabetes was tied to fewer cardiovascular deaths and heart failure hospitalizations.
By Lucas Ferreira · Science & Environment Writer
3 min read
People with prediabetes who brought their blood sugar back into the normal range had substantially lower rates of serious heart problems, according to research led by King’s College London. The findings point to prediabetes remission as a possible target for reducing long-term cardiovascular risk in a condition affecting more than one billion people worldwide.
The analysis, published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, found that remission of prediabetes was associated with a 58% lower risk of cardiovascular death or hospitalization for heart failure. Researchers also reported a 42% lower risk of major cardiovascular events, including heart attacks and strokes.
King’s College London said the benefits were seen across two large, long-running diabetes prevention studies in the United States and China. The lower risk persisted for decades after participants’ glucose levels returned to normal, according to the research team.
Data from two long-term studies
The team reviewed data from the U.S. Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study and the Chinese DaQing Diabetes Prevention Outcomes Study. Both followed people with prediabetes over long periods and included efforts such as increased physical activity and healthier eating.
The study was a post-hoc analysis, meaning researchers reexamined existing trial data to assess outcomes tied to remission of prediabetes. The authors reported similar patterns in both the U.S. and Chinese study populations.
Prediabetes is defined by blood sugar levels that are above normal but below the threshold for type 2 diabetes. King’s College London said the condition is linked not only to later diabetes but also to higher cardiovascular disease risk.
The university said about one in five adults in the United Kingdom has diabetes or prediabetes. It put the figure at more than one in three adults in the United States and four in ten in China.
Remission, not lifestyle alone
King’s College London said the findings stand out because earlier analyses of the same studies found that combined lifestyle interventions, including more exercise and healthier diets, did not significantly cut cardiovascular disease risk in people with prediabetes. The researchers said that suggests delaying diabetes may not be enough to reduce heart risk unless blood sugar returns to normal.
Dr. Andreas Birkenfeld, the study’s lead author and a reader in diabetes at King’s College London and University Hospital Tuebingen, said the results challenge assumptions about prevention in prediabetes. He said lifestyle changes remain valuable, but the evidence in these data links lower rates of fatal cardiac events, heart failure and all-cause mortality to remission of prediabetes.
Birkenfeld said prediabetes remission could become a major prevention goal alongside controlling blood pressure, lowering cholesterol and stopping smoking.
The work was conducted through the transCampus partnership between King’s College London and TUD Dresden University of Technology. The study authors included researchers from institutions in Europe, the United States and China.
This story draws on original reporting from ScienceDaily.