Reversing prediabetes may slash heart disease risk by half
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- Reviewed by Robert H. Shmerling, MD, Senior Faculty Editor, Harvard Health Publishing; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
People with slightly elevated blood sugar levels (a condition known as prediabetes) face a heightened risk of both diabetes and heart disease. But those who normalize their blood sugar may cut their future risk of heart problems by about half, new research suggests.
The study, published Dec. 12, 2025, in Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, used data from two large diabetes prevention studies. Researchers analyzed information on more than 2,900 people with prediabetes, following participants in the United States for 20 years and in China for 30 years.
Remission from prediabetes was defined as lowering blood sugar back to normal levels (for example, a fasting blood sugar of less than 100 milligrams per deciliter or a hemoglobin A1c value below 5.7%). People who achieved normal blood sugar values through diet, exercise, or a combination of both lowered their risk of dying from heart disease by about 50% compared with those whose blood sugar remained elevated. Rates of heart attacks, strokes, and related problems were 32% lower among those who reversed their prediabetes.
Image: © Wanida Prapan/Getty Images
About the Author
Julie Corliss, Executive Editor, Harvard Heart Letter
About the Reviewer
Robert H. Shmerling, MD, Senior Faculty Editor, Harvard Health Publishing; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
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