Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes: Evidence and Strategies

Neuropathy also has been observed in prediabetes. A noninvasive neurologic evaluation of individuals with IGT revealed subclinical neural dysfunction suggestive of cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy [19]. At the clinical level, a study that evaluated 100 patients with chronic idiopathic axonal neuropathy of unknown etiology found IFG in 36 and IGT in 38 patients, underscoring the role of abnormal glucose metabolism in these patients [20].

Nephropathy may also be more prevalent in those with prediabetes. In a 1999–2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey analysis, the adjusted prevalence of chronic kidney disease, defined by estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of 15 to 59 mL/min per 1.73 m ² or albumin-creatinine ratio ≥ 30 mg/g, was 17.1% in individuals with IFG, compared to 11.8% in individuals with normal fasting glucose [21].

Lifestyle Modifications

The alarming rapid increase in the prevalence of T2DM has been linked to a parallel rising epidemic of overweight, obesity, and lack of physical activity. Therefore, lifestyle changes aiming at weight reduction seemed to be a natural individual and public health strategy to prevent diabetes, and such strategies have been the focus of many randomized controlled trials around the world. As anticipated, weight loss, exercise, and diet have all been shown, separately or in combination, to be effective in decreasing the incidence of T2DM in high-risk patients [22–27]. Furthermore, and well beyond the benefit observed during the trials, follow-up studies revealed a sustained reduction of diabetes incidence in intervention groups several years after cessation of the intervention [28–32] (Table 2).

The Da Quing Diabetes Prevention Study (DQDPS), published in 1997, is one of the earliest prospective diabetes prevention trials [22]. This 6-year study conducted in 33 clinics in China from 1986 through 1992 included 577 participants with IGT who were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 groups: (1) diet (high vegetables, low sugar/alcohol) only, (2) exercise, (3) diet plus exercise, and (4) standard of care. At 6 years, diabetes incidence was significantly reduced by 46% in the exercise group, 31% in the diet group, and 42% in the diet plus exercise group compared to standard care. In 2006, 14 years after the end of the trial and 20 years after the initial enrollment, the cumulative incidence of diabetes was significantly lower in the intervention group at 80%, compared to 93% in the control group, and the annual incidence of diabetes was 7% and 11%, respectively, with a 43% lower incidence of diabetes over the 20-year period in the combination lifestyle changes group [28]. The preventive benefit of lifestyle changes persisted 2 decades after the initial randomization despite the standardization of treatment for all groups over the 14 years following the study, suggesting a strong and longitudinal preventive effect of the initial lifestyle modifications. In a follow-up study of the DQDPS conducted in 2009, at 23 years of follow-up, the cumulative incidences of cardiovascular mortality and all-cause mortality were significantly lower in the intervention group (11.9% versus 19.6%, and 28.1% versus 38.4%, respectively), highlighting the long-term clinical benefits of lifestyle intervention in patients with IGT [29].