Understanding how prediabetes develops into type 2 diabetes, or reverses to normal glucose levels, is essential for prevention strategies. A new prospective study, published in Diabetic Medicine, uses data from the RODAM cohort to examine how geographical context influences these trajectories among Ghanaians living in Ghana and in the Netherlands.

Study design and population

The study followed 615 adults with prediabetes over an average of 6.7 years, including participants living in Ghana and Ghanaian migrants living in Amsterdam. Prediabetes was defined using established WHO criteria, and both progression to type 2 diabetes and regression to normoglycaemia were assessed over time.

Key findings

Overall, regression to normoglycaemia (28.9%) was more common than progression to type 2 diabetes (12.6%). Importantly, the likelihood of progressing to type 2 diabetes did not differ significantly between participants living in Ghana and those living in Amsterdam.

A clear difference emerged in the opposite direction. Participants living in Ghana were more than three times as likely to return to normoglycaemia compared with their migrant counterparts in Europe.

Implications

These findings highlight prediabetes as an important window for intervention and suggest that migrants may face a relative disadvantage in returning to normoglycaemia. Further research is needed to better understand the biological, lifestyle, and healthcare-related factors underlying these differences.

Read the full publication here: Risk of progression to type 2 diabetes or regression tonormoglycaemia among Ghanaians with prediabetes livingin Ghana and the Netherlands: The RODAM prospectivestudy