LOSING WEIGHT, MORE EXERCISE & HEALTHY EATING ALONE NOT SUFFICIENT. REVERSING PREDIABETES VITAL – NEW STUDY

News

• A recent study found that lowering blood sugar can help to reduce the chances of serious heart issues by more than 50 per cent in people with prediabetes.
• The study was published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology and was conducted by researchers from King’s College London. The study says that bringing blood glucose levels back to normal can effectively reverse prediabetes, cutting the risk of death from heart disease or hospital admission for heart failure.

Cardiovascular diseases – Burden on modern society

• According to the World Health Organization (WHO), cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death globally.
• Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) almost cause approximately 32% of all global deaths.
• Of these deaths, 85% were due to heart attack and stroke.
• WHO says that most cardiovascular diseases can be prevented by addressing behavioral and environmental risk factors. Hence, managing blood sugar levels and bringing glucose levels to normal can help lower the risk of heart attack in people with prediabetes.

What is Pre-Diabetes?

• Prediabetes is a condition wherein an individual has higher than normal blood sugar level. However, it’s not high enough to be considered type 2 diabetes yet.
• According to experts,  Without lifestyle changes, adults and children with prediabetes are at high risk to develop type 2 diabetes.

Why the recent study is important?

• According to authors, This study challenges one of the biggest assumptions in modern preventative medicine.
• For years, people with prediabetes have been told that losing weight, exercising more and eating healthier will protect them from heart attacks and early death.
• While these lifestyle changes are unquestionably valuable, the evidence does not support that they reduce heart attacks or mortality in people with prediabetes.
• The study found that people who achieved remission from prediabetes saw a 58 per cent lower risk of cardiovascular death or hospitalisation from heart failure. Researchers revealed that this effect persisted even decades after normalising glucose levels. This highlights the lasting impact of managing blood sugar levels.
• The study also found that the risk of heart attack, stroke and other major adverse cardiovascular events was reduced by 42 per cent in people who had achieved prediabetes remission.
• Prior analyses of the studies show that combined lifestyle interventions, such as increased exercise and healthier eating, failed to lower cardiovascular disease risk. This implies that simply postponing diabetes onset offers no cardiovascular benefits without key metabolic improvements.
• 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.