What 21 Years Of Data Reveals About Preventing Chronic Disease
Key takeaways
- Author: Zhané Slambee June 21, 2026mindbodygreen editor By Zhané Slambee Image by Michela Ravasio / Stocksy June 21, 2026Most conversations about prediabetes focus on preventing the progression to type 2 diabetes.
- And metformin, one of the most commonly prescribed medications for prediabetes, didn't come close to matching those results.
- The research used data from the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), a randomized clinical trial that enrolled 3,234 adults at high risk of diabetes across 27 U.S. sites starting in 1996.
Why this matters: practical guidance grounded in recent research or expert insight.
Author: Zhané Slambee June 21, 2026mindbodygreen editor By Zhané Slambee Image by Michela Ravasio / Stocksy June 21, 2026Most conversations about prediabetes focus on preventing the progression to type 2 diabetes.
But, researchers of a new study1 followed adults with prediabetes for 21 years, researchers found that an intensive lifestyle program didn't just help prevent diabetes; it significantly reduced the risk of developing multiple chronic diseases at once. And metformin, one of the most commonly prescribed medications for prediabetes, didn't come close to matching those results. Here's what you need to know.
The research used data from the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), a randomized clinical trial that enrolled 3,234 adults at high risk of diabetes across 27 U.S. sites starting in 1996. Participants were split into three groups: one followed an intensive lifestyle program, one took metformin, and one received a placebo. They were then followed for more than two decades through the DPP Outcomes Study (DPPOS), an observational follow-up that tracked long-term health outcomes through 2021.