The Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) was a trial of over 3,000 people with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) to assess the effect of different interventions on their progression to type 2 diabetes. During an average follow-up period of three years, intensive lifestyle intervention with regular exercise and weight loss reduced the risk of progression to type 2 diabetes by 58%. Treatment with the antihyperglycaemic agent metformin reduced progression to type 2 diabetes by 31%. The DPP has therefore confirmed that rigorous lifestyle management can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and also shown that metformin therapy can reduce diabetes risk.
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