New Research Challenges Long-Held Assumptions About Prediabetes Treatment

From scitechdaily.com

Achieving remission from prediabetes dramatically reduces the risk of heart disease and other major cardiovascular events 

Lowering blood sugar levels dramatically reduces the risk of serious heart problems in people with prediabetes.

Research from King’s College London, published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, shows that restoring blood glucose levels to a normal range, effectively reversing prediabetes, reduces the risk of death from heart disease or hospital admission for heart failure by more than 50%.

Prediabetes remission sharply cuts heart risk

The finding stands out because earlier research suggested that lifestyle changes alone, including exercise, weight loss, and healthier diets, do not significantly reduce cardiovascular risk in people with prediabetes.

Together, these findings point to a potentially life-saving goal for people living with the condition. Achieving remission of prediabetes could become a key strategy for preventing cardiovascular disease and may signal an important shift in how clinicians approach treatment.

“This study challenges one of the biggest assumptions in modern preventative medicine. For years, people with prediabetes have been told that losing weight, exercising more, and eating healthier will protect them from heart attacks and early death. While these lifestyle changes are unquestionably valuable, the evidence does not support that they reduce heart attacks or mortality in people with prediabetes. Instead, we show that remission of prediabetes is associated with a clear reduction in fatal cardiac events, heart failure, and all-cause mortality.” – Study lead author Dr. Andreas Birkenfeld, Reader in Diabetes, King’s College London and University Hospital Tuebingen

A large international analysis indicates that returning blood glucose levels to normal in people with prediabetes may dramatically lower the risk of fatal heart disease and other major cardiovascular events. Credit: Shutterstock

Prediabetes affects over a billion people

Prediabetes occurs when blood glucose levels rise above normal but remain below the threshold for type 2 diabetes. Although the condition often progresses to diabetes, it is also linked to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, one of the leading causes of death worldwide.

In the UK, roughly one in five adults lives with diabetes or prediabetes. In the United States, the proportion exceeds one in three, while in China it reaches four in ten. Worldwide, more than one billion people are estimated to have prediabetes.

Decades of trials reveal lasting benefit

Led by Dr. Andreas Birkenfeld from King’s College London and University Hospital Tuebingen, the research reexamined data from two major diabetes prevention studies: the US Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study (DPPOS) and the Chinese DaQing Diabetes Prevention Outcomes Study (DaQingDPOS). Both long-term investigations followed individuals with prediabetes for several decades and included interventions such as increased physical activity and healthier diets.

Participants who achieved remission from prediabetes experienced a 58% lower risk of cardiovascular death or hospital admission due to heart failure. The protective effect remained visible decades after blood glucose levels returned to normal, suggesting that controlling glucose can produce long-lasting health benefits.

Researchers also reported that the risk of heart attack, stroke, and other major adverse cardiovascular events fell by 42% among individuals who achieved remission.

These findings were consistent across both the Chinese and US datasets.

Earlier analyses of the same studies had shown that combined lifestyle interventions, including more exercise and healthier diets, did not reduce cardiovascular disease on their own. This indicates that delaying the onset of diabetes may not be enough to protect the heart unless key metabolic changes take place.

“The study findings mean that prediabetes remission could establish itself – alongside lowering blood pressure, cutting cholesterol and stopping smoking – as a fourth major primary prevention tool that truly prevents heart attacks and deaths,” added Dr. Birkenfeld.

A long term international research partnership

The work forms part of a long-standing collaboration between King’s College London and TUD Dresden University of Technology known as the transCampus.

“The transCampus is a unique partnership established by King’s College London and the TUD Dresden University of Technology as a transnational strategic partnership based on the idea of true cooperation and an intense dedication for collaboration in all fields. Guided by shared ideas, values, and a devotion to research and education, transCampus enables researchers to work together beyond the means of a traditional partnership by sharing resources, combining their strength, and promoting transnational projects and knowledge transfer.” – Professor Stefan Bornstein, Dean of transCampus

https://scitechdaily.com/new-research-challenges-long-held-assumptions-about-prediabetes-treatment/

Understanding the link between diabetes and heart health

From uknow.uky.edu

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 2, 2026) — Many individuals are surprised to learn that diabetes doesn’t just affect blood sugar; it also greatly increases the risk of developing heart disease. The good news is that there are many steps people can take to protect their hearts, and small changes truly can make a big difference. 

This heart-healthy diabetes resource is here to give you simple, useful advice to help you take care of both your heart and your body’s energy systems.

Heart disease is affected by many things, and some of them can be prevented or controlled. These include high blood pressure, being overweight, high cholesterol, smoking or vaping, diabetes, drinking too much alcohol and not getting enough exercise.

Acknowledging early warning signs is important. Symptoms that require immediate medical attention include chest pain or pressure, shortness of breath, dizziness or fainting, extreme fatigue, numbness or weakness on one side of the body, leg pain while walking, swelling in the legs, slow healing sores or difficulty breathing or speaking during activity. If any of these symptoms occur, seek care right away.

For those with diabetes, heart health deserves special attention. Diabetes more than doubles the risk of developing atherosclerosis, a condition caused by plaque build-up inside the arteries. According to the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association, a healthy blood pressure is defined as a systolic reading of 120-129 mmHg and a diastolic reading below 80 mmHg.

                                                                                   Chinnapong, iStock/Getty Images Plus

Lifestyle changes are some of the most effective tools for reducing cardiovascular risk. Adults are encouraged to aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic activity each week. A heart healthy diet includes 8-10 daily servings of fruits and vegetables and limiting sodium intake to fewer than 2,300 mg per day. Foods rich in soluble fibre, such as beans, lentils, peas and oats, and heart healthy fats like olive or sunflower oil, help support healthy cholesterol levels. Controlling stress through counselling, mindfulness, movement or other techniques provides additional benefit.

Structured diabetes support can produce a meaningful difference. Diabetes self management education and support (DSMES) and medical nutrition therapy help individuals build skills for daily diabetes care. Many insurance plans cover DSMES when provided through accredited programs recognized by the American Diabetes Association or the Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists.

Taking charge of your heart health while managing diabetes doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. Small, consistent changes, paired with the right education and support, can bring about meaningful improvements in your long term health. We encourage you to partner with your health care team, ask questions and explore the resources available to you. Your heart matters. Every step you take toward healthier habits is a move toward a stronger future.

https://uknow.uky.edu/uk-healthcare/understanding-link-between-diabetes-and-heart-health 

What Happens to Your Blood Sugar When You Eat Sardines Regularly

From health.com

• Sardines are free of carbohydrates and rich in healthy fats which prevents blood sugar spikes.
• Eating them regularly could help maintain stable blood sugar and lower your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
• Sardines also contain omega-3s and other nutrients that support heart health and reduce harmful inflammation.

The unique combination of nutrients in sardines makes the tiny fish a great choice if you're looking to manage blood sugar. In fact, eating them regularly could even lower your risk of developing type 2 diabetes and protect your heart health.

Eating Sardines Keeps Your Blood Sugar Stable

Blood sugar spikes are primarily driven by simple carbohydrates (or simple sugars). Sardines have no carbohydrates at all, so they won't raise your blood sugar after you eat them.

In addition, sardines may help modulate blood sugar spikes when you do eat carbohydrate-rich foods. That's because sardines contain other beneficial nutrients, including:

• Protein: A can of sardines contains 22.6 grams of protein. This can slow gastric emptying, meaning that it takes more time for food to leave your stomach. Slower digestion is good for blood sugar, as any sugar you consume during a meal is released into the bloodstream more gradually.
• Healthy fats: Sardines are one of the best sources of omega-3 fatty acids. These healthy, unsaturated fats can reduce inflammation, which otherwise interferes with the function of insulin. Insulin is a hormone that helps move glucose out of the bloodstream and into cells, keeping blood sugar levels where they should be. Plus, like protein, foods with healthy fats can slow digestion.
• Magnesium and vitamin D: Sardines are a decent source of both magnesium and vitamin D. Evidence suggests these two micronutrients work together to help keep blood sugar levels steady, though most research has been done in supplements.
• Taurine: This amino acid found in sardines helps improve how your body responds to insulin, which may lead to better blood sugar control.

Sardines May Help Lower Type 2 Diabetes Risk

          Sardines are good for blood sugar because they're rich in fats and protein, but contain no carbs.

jirkaejc / Getty Images

Keeping your blood sugar stable over time may help prevent type 2 diabetes. And research suggests sardines' blood sugar benefits could help people lower their risk of type 2 diabetes.

In a 2021 study, researchers followed 152 older adults with prediabetes, a condition where blood sugar levels are elevated but don't yet qualify as diabetes. For one year, half of the participants followed a diabetes-prevention diet, while the other half followed the same diet and also ate 200 grams (just over two cans) of sardines each week.

The sardine group saw major improvements—37% were at very high risk of diabetes when the study began, but that number dropped to 8% after a year. In the control group, the percentage of those at very high risk for diabetes fell from 27% to 22%.

The researchers concluded that sardines may be able to improve the body's response to insulin, suggesting that regular consumption of sardines can lower diabetes risk for those with prediabetes.

Sardines Are Also Linked to Heart Health Benefits

It's important to avoid diabetes and maintain healthy blood sugar if you want to protect your heart. But sardines can boost your heart health in other ways, too.

For one, sardines contain omega-3 fatty acids, which improve heart health by:

• Lowering triglycerides: Omega-3s help manage high levels of triglycerides, which are fats in the body. Depending on your cholesterol levels, high triglycerides can contribute to fatty build-ups in the arteries which raise stroke and heart attack risk.
• Tamping down inflammation: Over time, inflammation damages your blood vessels, allowing plaque—waxy deposits made of cholesterol, fat, and calcium—to build up in the arteries. This can restrict blood flow and raise the risk of a heart attack. Omega-3s may help prevent this with their anti-inflammatory properties.

In addition to omega-3s, sardines contain other nutrients that play various roles in supporting healthy heart function, including potassium, magnesium, zinc, calcium, and iron.

Because of these benefits, the American Heart Association recommends that people eat two servings of non-fried fish (which can include sardines) each week to lower their risk of heart disease.

Nutritional Breakdown

A standard, 3.75-ounce serving of canned sardines in oil provides the following:

• Calories: 191
• Protein: 22.6 grams
• Fat: 10.5 grams
• Carbohydrates: 0 grams
• Calcium: 351 milligrams
• Iron: 2.69 milligrams
• Potassium: 365 milligrams
• Magnesium: 35.9 milligrams
• Selenium: 48.5 micrograms
• Zinc: 1.2 milligrams
• Vitamin B12: 8.22 micrograms
• Vitamin D: 4.42 micrograms
• Vitamin E: 1.88 milligrams
• Sodium: 282 milligrams

Risks Related To Eating Sardines

Sardines are generally a healthy choice. However, there are a few things you should watch for if you're making them a regular part of your diet:

• Sodium content: In canned varieties of sardines, sodium levels can be high—a standard can contains 282 milligrams of sodium. Adults should limit their sodium intake to 2,300 milligrams per day, so a can of sardines provides about 10% of that daily amount. Maintaining healthy sodium intake is particularly important if you're managing high blood pressure.
• Heavy metals: Lead and mercury are sometimes found in fish. These metals accumulate gradually, so older, larger fish like sharks and swordfish have the highest levels. Sardines and other smaller options are much safer because they sit lower on the food chain. However, it can also depend on where they were caught, as some sardines from specific regions around the world have tested above safety limits.

https://www.health.com/are-sardines-good-for-blood-sugar-11885421

Diabetes isn’t just about sugar, it impacts every organ

From gulfnews.com

Dr Uwe Dalichow

Eyes, kidneys, heart and nerves are particularly at risk 

When people hear diabetes, they think blood sugar, diet, and medication. In fact, diabetes is a condition that affects the whole body. Over time, it can quietly impact several organs, in particular your eyes, kidneys, heart, nerves, and more.

Diabetes is one of the leading causes of death globally. In the UAE, where chronic diseases are rising, underestimating diabetes can have real consequences. For roughly 16 per cent of adults living with diabetes, complications can limit independence, reduce quality of life, and increase healthcare needs - often before symptoms are obvious.

Silent Damage from Diabetes

High blood sugar and high blood pressure can affect small and large blood vessels in the eyes, kidneys, heart, and brain.

· Eyes: Damage to tiny retinal vessels can lead to diabetic retinopathy and more than 60 per cent of people with type-2 diabetes develop it. Without treatment, it can progress to a more serious condition: diabetic macular edema (DME) which is a build-up of fluid that blurs central vision. Vision changes often arrive without pain or early warning with the resulting impact even more profound and life-changing, including vision loss, inability to work and severe limitation of independence. But timely treatment can stabilize or even improve sight.

· Kidneys: Diabetes is a leading cause of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Early kidney changes are silent, which is why screening matters. An estimated 40 per cent of people with diabetes develop CKD, which itself has stages (1-5). While CKD can be detected in earlier stages, patients may only see symptoms at stage 3 and at stage 5, patients require dialysis.

· Heart: Diabetes raises cardiovascular risk by 2-4 times. The combination of heart failure and other cardiovascular risks is a highly prevalent finding among people with diabetes in the UAE.

· Nerves: Diabetes damages nerves - especially in the feet, impacting balance, sensation, and mobility. This is known as diabetic neuropathy.

· Liver: High blood sugar leads to fat accumulation in the liver, which, if left untreated, can progress to liver scarring and liver failure.

While all this may sound alarming, early detection and treatment can make all the difference, yet many people living with diabetes simply don’t know that they need to ask for it.

What early action looks like

Most diabetes-related complications can be detected early through routine tests. You may ask your doctor about eye exams to detect any retinal vessel damage. Urine tests and specific kidney and liver function blood tests can identify onset or risk of CKD and liver disease. A lipid profile can help detect cardiovascular disease risk.

Because we require these whole-body assessments to help patients with diabetes, it is easy to see why an integrated care approach matters.

The UAE is building a more connected model of care

An integrated care model requires seamless exchange of data between care providers. In many health settings, this coordination is not easy to achieve, but in the UAE, health authorities are actively working towards this goal, as evidenced by recent initiatives.

In 2024, Emirates Health Services rolled out AI-based retinal imaging across multiple emirates, screening thousands of patients with diabetes and referring high-risk cases swiftly. With the expansion of health information exchanges such as Malaffi in Abu Dhabi and NABIDH in Dubai, the potential for integrated data sharing across hospitals is growing, helping physicians identify risks earlier and coordinate care across specialties.

Even when a patient does not have access to integrated care, they can still have the conversation with their healthcare provider to discuss and understand their risks. And this will only happen when patients view diabetes as more than just uncontrolled blood sugar.

A call to broaden how we see diabetes

Too often we treat diabetes as nothing more than a number on a glucose meter. That mindset misses the point: diabetes affects the eyes, kidneys, heart, nerves and more. When we recognize it as a systemic condition and act accordingly through prevention, routine screening and coordinated care, we can stop decades of preventable harm.

If you are someone living with diabetes: consult with your physician for proactive management of your blood sugar, and regular eyes, kidneys, heart, and nerves checks instead of waiting for symptoms to appear.

With proactive care, we can change the story of diabetes – from delayed detection of the systemic effects of diabetes to early action and healthier future.

Important note: This article is for general awareness and does not replace medical advice. Speak with your healthcare provider for personalized recommendations.

- The author, Uwe Dalichow is Head of Region EMA and Country Division Head MENA, Pharmaceuticals Division, Bayer

https://gulfnews.com/gn-focus/company-news/diabetes-isnt-just-about-sugar-it-impacts-every-organ-1.500440595

8 Ways Diabetes Can Raise Your Heart Attack Risk—and How to Lower It

From verywellhealth.com

Type 2 diabetes is closely linked to heart health. When left unmanaged, it can lead to a higher risk of cardiovascular-related events, such as a heart attack or stroke. However, knowing how diabetes affects your risk can help you take proactive steps to protect your heart.

                                             Having diabetes can increase your risk of certain heart problems.  Halfpoint Images / Getty Images

1. Damages Blood Vessels

Having high blood sugar over time can cause damage to the blood vessels, as well as the nerves that regulate your heart and blood vessels. Over time, this damage can cause heart disease, raising your risk of heart attack and stroke.

The good news: Keeping your blood sugar within your target range as much as possible can help protect your blood vessels and reduce your risk of heart disease.

2. Causes Inflammation In the Body

Diabetes is associated with inflammation throughout the body. Having this inflammation for a long time starts to cause damage in the blood vessels, which makes it more likely for plaque to build up. Over time, the plaque becomes hardened, causing the arteries to narrow. This affects blood flow to the heart and other organs.

You can manage inflammation by controlling your blood sugar, making lifestyle changes, and taking your medications as directed.

3. Raises Blood Pressure

Diabetes causes kidney scarring, which leads to salt and water retention and eventual high blood pressure (hypertension). Blood vessel damage, as mentioned above, also contributes to high blood pressure.

People who have both diabetes and hypertension (high blood pressure) have about twice the risk of heart attack and stroke, when compared to people who have high blood pressure but do not have diabetes.

You can take steps to control your blood pressure by following a healthy diet with limited salt, exercising regularly, and taking your blood pressure medication as prescribed.

4. Causes High Cholesterol

Having diabetes can lower your high-density lipoprotein (HDL) or "good" cholesterol and increase your low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or "bad" cholesterol and triglycerides. This is called diabetic dyslipidemia, and it raises your risk of heart disease and stroke. Studies have found that this can even occur before an official diagnosis of diabetes.

Talk to your healthcare provider about steps you can take to control your cholesterol levels, such as dietary changes, increased exercise, and taking cholesterol-lowering medication.

5. Increases Risk of Obesity

About 86% of people with type 2 diabetes have obesity or are overweight. Having obesity is a risk factor for ischemic heart disease. This happens when arteries narrow and reduce the movement of blood and oxygen to the heart. This can lead to a heart attack.

Losing 5% to 10% of body weight can significantly improve heart health. Talk to your healthcare provider about ways to accomplish this goal, such as through dietary changes, exercise, and possibly medication.

6. Can Damage the Kidneys

Kidney damage is one of the long-term complications of diabetes. Having high blood sugar for an extended period can lead to damage to the blood vessels and other small structures in the kidneys, as well as kidney failure. People with diabetes and high blood pressure can also have kidney damage, as mentioned above.

Having kidney disease increases your risk of heart disease, and vice versa.

You can take steps to protect your kidney health by keeping your blood sugar under control, managing protein intake, and taking medications that help manage your blood pressure. Talk to your healthcare provider about your options.

7. Increases the Risk of Blood Clots

People with diabetes are more likely to have heart disease and blood clots, which can increase the risk of heart attack and stroke. Up to 80% of people with diabetes are considered at risk of dying due to a clot-related cause, such as deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or pulmonary embolism (PE).

There are ways to reduce your risk of blood clots if you have diabetes. Keeping your blood sugar in range, maintaining a healthy weight, exercising, and avoiding smoking and vaping can help lower your risk.

8. Increases the Risk of Heart Failure

Heart failure can happen when the heart cannot pump blood forcefully enough, causing symptoms like fluid retention, difficulty breathing, and fatigue.

People with diabetes are more than twice as likely to develop heart failure and have worse outcomes in terms of hospitalization and prognosis.

You can reduce your risk of heart failure by maintaining a healthy haemoglobin A1C Level, taking your medication as prescribed, following a balanced diet, and engaging in regular exercise.

https://www.verywellhealth.com/can-diabetes-cause-heart-attack-11853363