Lowering Blood Glucose in Prediabetes May Prevent Heart Attacks and Heart Failure

New study findings from researchers from King’s College London have announced that lowering blood glucose levels decreases the risk of death from heart disease or hospital admission for heart failure by more than 50%. The study authors, who published their findings in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, noted that the results point to a new treatment target that could transform the prevention and management of cardiovascular disease in this population.¹

“This study challenges one of the biggest assumptions in modern preventative medicine. For years, [individuals] 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. Instead, we show that remission of prediabetes is associated with a clear reduction in fatal cardiac events, heart failure, and all-cause mortality,” Andreas Birkenfeld, lead study author and reader in diabetes at King’s College London and University Hospital Tuebingen, said in a news release.¹

Understanding Risks, Symptoms, and Management of Prediabetes

Globally, more than 1 billion individuals are estimated to have prediabetes, with more than 1 in 3 among US individuals. Prediabetes is a condition in which blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not yet high enough to be classified as type 2 diabetes (T2D). Without intervention, individuals with prediabetes are at high risk of developing T2D, and early damage to the heart, blood vessels, and kidneys may already be occurring; however, progression is not unavoidable.²

Prediabetes typically does not have noticeable signs or symptoms, but darkened skin in areas such as the neck, armpits, or groin could occur. Symptoms like increased thirst, frequent urination, fatigue, blurred vision, numbness or tingling, frequent infections, slow-healing sores, and unintended weight loss could indicate progression to T2D.²

A change of diet by eating healthy foods and daily physical activity could help bring blood glucose levels back to normal; however, recent research has revealed that lifestyle changes alone do not reduce cardiovascular risk in individuals with prediabetes.^1,2

Prediabetes Remission Linked to Long-Term Cardiovascular Protection

In the study, researchers reanalyzed data from 2 long-term diabetes prevention trials: the US Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study (DPPOS) and the Chinese DaQing Diabetes Prevention Outcomes Study (DaQingDPOS). Both studies monitored participants with prediabetes for several decades and focused on interventions such as increased exercise and healthy eating.¹

Results demonstrated that individuals who achieved remission from prediabetes had an approximately 58% lower risk of cardiovascular death or hospitalization from heart failure, with benefits lasting for decades. Their risk of heart attack, stroke, and other major cardiovascular events was also reduced by about 42%.¹

These findings were consistent in both the US and Chinese studies. Previous research had shown that lifestyle interventions alone did not lower cardiovascular risk, indicating that delaying diabetes onset without key metabolic improvements may not provide heart protection, according to the study authors.¹

“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,” Birkenfeld said.¹

REFERENCES

1.Lowering blood sugar cuts heart attack risk in people with prediabetes. News release. EurekAlert. December 12, 2025. Accessed December 23, 2025. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1109692

2. Mayo Clinic Staff. Prediabetes. News release. Mayo Clinic. November 11, 2023. Accessed December 23, 2025. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/prediabetes/symptoms-causes/syc-20355278