Study Follows the Health of Older Adults With Prediabetes Problems

A study published in the Journal of Internal Medicine tracked 918 older adults with prediabetes for 12 years, finding that most remained stable or returned to normal blood sugar levels, while only one-third developed diabetes or died, reports EurekAlert . Twenty-two percent of prediabetic individuals 60 and older reverted to normal blood sugar levels, 13 percent developed diabetes, and 23 percent died. Reduced systolic blood pressure, lack of heart disease, and weight loss were associated with a higher probability of reverting from prediabetes to normal blood sugar levels, while obesity expedited progression to diabetes. "Despite numerous studies focusing on prediabetes in the younger population, this is the first study describing the natural history of prediabetes in the older population," noted Ying Shang at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. "The results of our study suggest that even in old age, reverting back from prediabetes to a normal blood sugar level is possible with effective weight management and blood pressure control."