Most Older Adults With 'Prediabetes' Don't Develop Diabetes: Study

A Swedish study in the Journal of Internal Medicine suggests older adults with prediabetes do not typically develop full-blown diabetes, reports Channel News Asia . Investigators followed 2,575 men and women 60 and older without diabetes for up to 12 years. At the beginning, 918 people had higher-than-normal blood sugar levels that were still below the threshold for diabetes. Just 119 subjects developed diabetes, and another 204 exhibited blood sugar levels that declined enough to no longer be considered prediabetic. "In fact, the chance to stay prediabetic or even revert back to normal blood sugar is actually pretty high 64 percent, without taking medication," noted Ying Shang of the Aging Research Center at the Karolinska Institute. "Lifestyle changes such as weight management or blood pressure control may help stop prediabetes from progressing." Subjects with prediabetes were more likely to revert to healthy blood sugar levels if they lost weight, were free of heart disease, and had low blood pressure. Obese adults with prediabetes were more likely to develop full-blown diabetes.