Interventions that prevent pre-diabetes from becoming type 2

It is well established that type 2 diabetes is associated with a range of macrovascular and microvascular complications. Nor is prediabetes a benign condition – for example, it carries a two- to three-fold increased risk of cardiovascular events. ¹

Prediabetes and how to recognise the condition has been discussed in an earlier Independent Nursearticle.²

What interventions could interrupt the journey from normoglycaemia through prediabetes to type 2 diabetes? There are now a number of randomised controlled trials in a variety of populations and countries that focus on lifestyle and pharmacological interventions. The individuals in these trials typically had prediabetes defined by impaired glucose tolerance (or impaired fasting glucose) – that is, they were at high risk of developing diabetes.