Can prediabetes be reversed? Apollo doctor highlights a new study and shares how to reverse it

Many people think prediabetes is the first step toward lifelong diabetes, but new insights suggest it doesn’t have to go that way. In fact, the early years after diagnosis may be the most promising window to turn things around. Apollo doctor Dr Sudhir Kumar recently shared that prediabetes can often be reversed when someone acts early, and a new decade-long study from India strongly supports this idea with striking numbers on who progresses, who recovers, and why timing matters.

Dr Sudhir Kumar explained on X that prediabetes tends to be most reversible within the first two years. He said many people are diagnosed with prediabetes before developing diabetes, and this phase offers a real opportunity to return to normal blood sugar levels. According to him, the core habits that help someone move from prediabetes back to normoglycemia focus on four pillars: a healthier diet with an emphasis on lowering carbohydrate intake, a mix of aerobic activity and strength training, weight loss for anyone who is overweight or obese, and consistently good sleep.

A decade-long study titled 'Transition between prediabetic and diabetic stages in an urban community in India: A decade-long retrospective cohort study' offers important context to his message. Researchers analysed data from 1,670 adults aged 30 and above, tracking patterns of normoglycemia (normal blood sugar levels), prediabetes, and type II diabetes over ten years. They calculated the incidence rates of diabetes separately for people who started in normal ranges and those who already had prediabetes at the beginning of the study.



The numbers paint a clear picture. The overall incidence of type II diabetes was 20.94 per 1,000 person-years, but people who started with prediabetes had a much higher risk at 41.74 per 1,000 person-years. Those who began with normal blood sugar levels had a lower rate of 15.89. The probability of progressing from prediabetes to diabetes touched roughly 30 per cent, while the shift from normal to prediabetes reached about 25 percent.



What stands out most is the reversal trend. The study found that moving from prediabetes back to normoglycemia peaked at nearly 60 per cent within the first two to three years. After that period, the chances of reversal gradually declined. Men were more likely to progress to diabetes, while women showed a higher chance of returning to normal blood sugar levels.