Changing your lifestyle may be better than meds for people with prediabetes

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2026-06-16 01:00

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US researchers suggest people at a high risk of diabetes might be better off if they make some intensive lifestyle changes rather than taking the drug metformin - the most commonly prescribed first-line medication for managing type 2 diabetes. The researchers looked at data from 1173 participants over 21 years, where they were randomly sorted into groups that either made big lifestyle changes - usually diets, exercise and behavioural health counselling -, were given metformin, or a placebo. The team say the chances of the participants having two or more chronic or persistent health conditions occurring simultaneously were significantly lower in the group that made the lifestyle changes, compared to those on the meds or a placebo (which had no significant difference between the two).

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Journal/
conference: JAMA

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: National Institute on Aging, USA

Funder: This study was supported by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under awards U01 DK048489, U01 DK048339, U01 DK048377, U01 DK048349, U01 DK048381, U01 DK048468, U01 DK048434, U01 DK048485, U01 DK048375, U01 DK048514, U01 DK048437, U01 DK048413, U01 DK048411, U01 DK048406, U01 DK048380, U01 DK048397, U01 DK048412, U01 DK048404, U01 DK048387, U01 DK048407, U01 DK048443, and U01 DK048400, and by the National Institute on Aging of the NIH under award 5 U19 AG078558 by providing funding during DPP and DPPOS to the clinical centers and the coordinating center for the design and conduct of the study and collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data. Funding was also provided by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the National Eye Institute, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the National Cancer Institute, the Office of Research onWomen’s Health, the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the American Diabetes Association. The Southwestern American Indian centers were supported directly by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, including its Intramural Research Program, and the Indian Health Service. The General Clinical Research Center Program, National Center for Research Resources, and the Department of Veterans Affairs supported data collection at many of the clinical centers. Merck KGaA provided medication for DPPOS. DPP/DPPOS have also received donated materials, equipment, or medicines for concomitant conditions from Bristol Myers Squibb, Parke-Davis, LifeScan Inc, Health-o-Meter, Hoechst Marion Roussel, Merck-Medco Managed Care, Merck & Co, Nike Sports Marketing, SlimFast Foods, and Quaker Oats. McKesson BioServices, Matthews Media Group, and the HenryM. Jackson Foundation provided support services under subcontract with the coordinating center.

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