Three years of lifestyle changes helped 12% of people with prediabetes achieve sustained remission

For adults living with prediabetes and carrying extra weight, the fear of relapse is real. A new look at a large international trial offers some clarity on what happens when people try to keep off the pounds for three years. The study involved 846 participants who joined a program designed to help them lose weight quickly at first and then maintain that loss for years. The results show that 12% of these people achieved sustained remission of prediabetes by the end of the three-year mark. This group, called maintainers, kept their weight down and saw lasting benefits. Those who did not respond to the program or who lost weight but then gained it back did not see the same long-term success. The data suggests that the ability to keep weight off is the key to staying in remission. People in the maintainers group lost more weight and lost more fat than others. They also saw improvements in how their liver handled sugar. In contrast, those who relapsed gradually returned to a state where their bodies struggled to use insulin properly. The study was a post-hoc analysis, meaning researchers looked at existing data after the trial ended. This approach helps explain the results but does not change the original trial design. No serious safety issues were reported during the study. The findings suggest that focusing on keeping weight off is essential for preventing the return of insulin resistance in people with prediabetes.