Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
A National Institutes of Health (NIH)-supported clinical trial found that adults with prediabetes who were assigned to a lifestyle intervention had a significantly lower risk of developing multiple chronic conditions—known as multimorbidity—over time compared to those assigned to a placebo.
The study followed 1,173 participants at high risk of diabetes who were enrolled in Medicare across 27 U.S. sites for more than 20 years. It began as the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) from 1996 to 1999 and continued as the DPP Outcomes Study (DPPOS) through 2021.
Participants in the lifestyle intervention group received 16 individual sessions and monthly follow-up sessions over about two years, aiming to reduce calorie and fat intake, engage in at least 150 minutes of physical activity each week, and achieve at least 7% weight loss from baseline. After the initial trial, all participants were offered the intensive lifestyle curriculum in groups, with quarterly group sessions and booster sessions for the original lifestyle group during the outcomes study period.
The trial also included a metformin group, but those participants did not experience a statistically significant reduction in multimorbidity risk compared to the placebo group.
The findings, published in JAMA, highlight that lifestyle programs may offer lasting benefits in lowering the risk of developing multiple chronic conditions in adults with prediabetes—a common and increasing health concern.
Marcel Salive, M.D., the first author from NIH’s National Institute on Aging, noted that few interventions have been found to prevent or delay multimorbidity, and this study’s evidence of healthy lifestyle intervention reducing its burden is an important advancement.