Prediabetes has often been seen as a warning sign that a person is on their way to developing type 2 diabetes.
But new research from Deakin University in Australia shows that this isn’t always true. In fact, for many people, prediabetes doesn’t have to turn into diabetes at all.
A major international study led by Deakin’s Institute for Physical and Mental Health and Clinical Translation (IMPACT) followed 8,000 people with prediabetes from Australia, Asia, and the United States over several years.
The researchers found that people who were able to bring their blood sugar levels back to normal had a much lower chance—about 51% lower—of developing type 2 diabetes. This means that reversing prediabetes may be more common than previously thought.
Prediabetes happens when your blood sugar is higher than normal but not high enough to be called diabetes. It’s a serious warning sign, and in Australia, around 2 million adults are living with this condition.
About 1 in 10 of them go on to develop type 2 diabetes each year. Diabetes Australia estimates that if no further action is taken, up to 3.6 million people in the country could have diabetes by 2050. Right now, diabetes costs the Australian economy about $9.1 billion each year.
This condition doesn’t just affect physical health. Managing blood sugar can be confusing and stressful. It can take a toll on a person’s mental health and affect their ability to work and enjoy life.
Traditionally, health care providers have aimed to delay diabetes in people with prediabetes, but this new research suggests a more hopeful goal: bringing blood sugar back to normal.
Dr. Najmeh Davoodian, a graduate researcher, and her supervisor Associate Professor Mohammadreza Mohebbi led the new study. They suggest that instead of just trying to delay diabetes, doctors should help patients fully reverse prediabetes.
The study showed that people who returned to normal blood sugar levels had a much lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, especially if they also had good overall health. People who did not smoke, had a healthy body weight, normal blood pressure, and normal cholesterol levels saw even bigger benefits.
For them, the risk dropped by up to 80–85%. Those who lost weight and improved their blood sugar levels had far better results than people who stayed the same weight or gained weight.
On the other hand, people who stayed in the prediabetic range were twice as likely to develop diabetes later on. This remained true even after considering age, gender, and other health issues.
According to Dr. Davoodian, this means we need to think differently. Instead of seeing prediabetes as the first step toward diabetes, we should start seeing it as something that can be reversed.
She and her team are calling on medical professionals and health organisations to change their approach. They believe that restoring normal blood sugar and improving overall health should be a clear goal for patients with prediabetes.
This study sends a powerful message. For many people, prediabetes does not have to lead to type 2 diabetes. With the right support and lifestyle changes—like eating healthier, staying active, quitting smoking, and maintaining a healthy weight—it may be possible to completely reverse the condition.
In conclusion, this new research provides strong evidence that reversing prediabetes is not only possible but also very effective in lowering the risk of type 2 diabetes. The benefits are even greater when combined with other healthy habits. These findings could help change the way doctors treat prediabetes and give new hope to millions of people.
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The study is published in Diabetologia.
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