A long-term study of adults with prediabetes showed that lifestyle changes were tied to a lower risk of multimorbidity, but metformin was not.Regardless of treatment group, over 80% of all participants developed at least two chronic conditions over time.Participants who progressed to diabetes had a 33% higher risk of multimorbidity, independent of treatment group.
Adults with prediabetes randomized to a lifestyle intervention had a significantly lower risk of developing multiple chronic conditions over time compared with a placebo group, a benefit not seen among those assigned to metformin, long-term data from the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) trial showed.
At 21 years, the risk of multimorbidity -- the presence of two or more chronic conditions -- was 21% lower among those who received lifestyle interventions compared with those who received placebo (HR 0.79, 95% CI 0.68-0.93).
However, there was no difference in multimorbidity risk between participants who received metformin versus those randomized to placebo (HR 0.91, 95% CI 0.78-1.07), reported Marcel Salive, MD, of the National Institute on Aging in Bethesda, Maryland, and colleagues in JAMA.
"These findings are highly encouraging, reinforcing that lifestyle programs focused on diet and exercise may persistently lower the risk of developing multiple chronic conditions, beyond diabetes," Griffin Rodgers, MD, director of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, said in a statement.
