Longevity & Aging21-Year Study Shows Lifestyle Changes Slash Multimorbidity Risk in Prediabetes
A 21-year follow-up of the Diabetes Prevention Program trial reveals that lifestyle interventions — focused on diet and exercise — reduced the risk of developing multiple chronic conditions by 21% in adults with prediabetes. Metformin, by contrast, showed no significant benefit for multimorbidity. Over 80% of all participants eventually developed at least two chronic conditions, including hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, and dementia. Participants who progressed to full diabetes faced a 33% higher multimorbidity risk regardless of treatment. Researchers suggest lifestyle changes work by improving inflammation, metabolic regulation, and cellular aging. The findings reinforce that sustainable diet and exercise habits offer broad, lasting protection well beyond diabetes prevention alone.
