Two habits beat out diabetes wonder drug metaformin: study

Key Points:

• A new study published in JAMA found that lifestyle intervention—specifically a low-fat, low-calorie diet combined with at least 150 minutes of physical activity weekly—was more effective than metformin in reducing the risk of developing multiple chronic diseases over two decades among adults with prediabetes.
• The Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) and its follow-up study tracked over 3,000 adults from 1996 to 2021, showing that 82% of those in the lifestyle intervention group developed multimorbidity compared to 85% in the metformin group and 87% in the placebo group.
• Multimorbidity, defined as having two or more chronic health conditions simultaneously, is a growing concern in aging populations and contributes significantly to healthcare complexity and costs.
• Researchers and clinicians emphasize that lifestyle changes are not one-size-fits-all and recommend gradual, personalized approaches to adopting healthier nutrition and physical activity habits for sustainable benefits.
• The study highlights the potential of non-pharmaceutical interventions to prevent or delay multimorbidity, offering motivation and empowerment to patients beyond relying solely on medication.