Lowering Blood Sugar Dramatically Reduces Heart Risk in Prediabetes, Landmark Study Finds
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A new study reveals that normalizing blood glucose levels in individuals with prediabetes can cut the risk of death from heart disease or hospitalization for heart failure by over 50%, challenging conventional wisdom about managing the condition.
The groundbreaking research, published today in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, suggests a paradigm shift in how clinicians approach prediabetes, moving beyond lifestyle recommendations to prioritize blood sugar control. Researchers at King’s College London reanalyzed data from two decades-long studies, the US Diabetes prevention Programme Outcomes Study (DPPOS) and the Chinese DaQing Diabetes Prevention Outcomes Study (DaQingDPOS), to arrive at these compelling conclusions.
The Limits of Lifestyle Changes
For years, individuals with prediabetes have been advised to adopt healthier lifestyles – including increased exercise, weight loss, and improved diets – to mitigate thier risk of developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Though, this latest analysis indicates that these lifestyle changes alone do not considerably lower cardiovascular risk.
“This study challenges one of the biggest assumptions in modern preventative medicine,” explained Dr. Andreas Birkenfeld, reader in Diabetes at King’s college London and University Hospital Tübingen, and lead author of the study. “While these lifestyle changes are unquestionably valuable, the evidence does not support that they reduce heart attacks or mortality in people with prediabetes.”
remission as a Key to Cardiovascular Protection
Instead, the research demonstrates a clear link between achieving prediabetes remission – effectively reversing the condition by bringing blood glucose back to normal levels – and a considerable reduction in cardiac events. Participants who achieved remission experienced a 58% lower risk of cardiovascular death or hospitalization due to heart failure. This protective effect persisted for decades after glucose levels were normalized, highlighting the lasting impact of blood sugar regulation.
Moreover, the risk of heart attack, stroke, and other major adverse cardiovascular events was reduced by 42% in those who achieved prediabetes remission. These findings were consistent across both the US and Chinese datasets, strengthening the validity of the results.
A Global Health Imperative
Prediabetes affects a staggering number of people worldwide. Globally, over one billion individuals are estimated to have the condition.In the UK, approximately one in five adults has diabetes or prediabetes, while in the United States, that figure exceeds one in three. China faces an even higher prevalence, with four in ten adults affected.
The study underscores the urgent need to address prediabetes not just as a precursor to type 2 diabetes, but as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease – one of the leading causes of death globally.
A Fourth Pillar of Prevention
The implications of this research are far-reaching. Dr. Birkenfeld suggests that prediabetes remission should be recognized as a fourth major primary prevention tool, alongside lowering blood pressure, cutting cholesterol, and stopping smoking, to effectively prevent heart attacks and deaths.
“The study findings mean that prediabetes remission could establish itself-alongside lowering blood pressure, cutting cholesterol and stopping smoking-as a fourth major primary prevention tool that truly prevents heart attacks and deaths,” Dr. Birkenfeld stated.
This research signals a potential turning point in the treatment of prediabetes, emphasizing the importance of interventions aimed at achieving remission and ultimately safeguarding cardiovascular health.
More facts: “Prediabetes Remission and Cardiovascular Morbidity and Mortality: A post-hoc analyses from DPPOS and DaQingDPOS,” The Lancet Diabetes & endocrinology (2025). DOI: 10.1016/S2213-8587(25)00295-5.
Journal information: Diabetes, The Lancet.
Provided by King’s College London.
