THURSDAY, March 19, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Among young adults, five-year progression from prediabetes to type 2 diabetes is highest among those who meet glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) eligibility criteria and have fasting glucose of 110 to 125 mg/dL, according to a study presented at the American Heart Association Epidemiology and Prevention/Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health 2026 Scientific Sessions, held from March 17 to 20 in Boston.
Mary Rooney, Ph.D., M.P.H., from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, and colleagues characterized five-year risk and risk factors for progression to diabetes in young adults with prediabetes. The analysis included pooled data from 662 participants (aged 18 to 40 years) with prediabetes (fasting glucose of 100 to 125 mg/dL) participating in one of three cohorts.
The researchers found that the five-year risk for progression from prediabetes to diabetes was 7.5 percent. Among young adults with prediabetes who met GLP-1 RA eligibility criteria for weight loss, five-year progression risk was 10.9 percent. For those with fasting glucose of 110 to 125 mg/dL, five-year risk was 15.1 percent. Five-year risk for diabetes was highest (24.8 percent) for young adults who met GLP-1 RA eligibility criteria and had fasting glucose of 110 to 125 mg/dL, which was nearly fivefold higher than for those meeting neither criteria.
"Our results signal that some people with prediabetes have a higher risk of progressing to type 2 diabetes," Rooney said in a statement. "These are the patients who may benefit from more targeted, intensive treatment than others."
One author disclosed ties to Siemens Healthineers.