What Is Prediabetes, and Is It Reversible?

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Prediabetes is a common diagnosis — the CDC estimates that more than 1 in 3 US adults have it, and most don't know it. Understanding what prediabetes actually means, and what can be done about it, is the first step.

What prediabetes means

Prediabetes means your blood sugar is higher than typical, but not high enough to be classified as type 2 diabetes. It's generally identified through an A1C between 5.7% and 6.4%, or a fasting glucose between 100 and 125 mg/dL. See what is an A1C test for how that number is measured.

Is prediabetes reversible?

For many people, yes — research summarized by the CDC's National Diabetes Prevention Program has found that structured lifestyle changes, particularly modest weight loss (around 5-7% of body weight) and roughly 150 minutes of weekly physical activity, can significantly reduce the chance that prediabetes progresses to type 2 diabetes. This isn't guaranteed for everyone, and genetics and other health conditions play a role, but the risk is not fixed.

Common risk factors

Several factors are associated with higher prediabetes risk, including family history, carrying extra weight (particularly around the waist), lower physical activity levels, and a history of gestational diabetes. We cover each of these in more depth:

• Family history and diabetes risk
• Waist circumference and diabetes risk
• Gestational diabetes and postpartum risk

How to check your risk

The CDC and ADA publish a short prediabetes risk test based on age, weight, family history, and activity level. Take it instantly with our diabetes risk screening quiz — it takes about a minute and gives you a score to discuss with your doctor.

What comes next if you're at higher risk

A higher risk score or a prediabetes-range lab result is a starting point for a conversation with your doctor about confirmatory testing, not a diagnosis on its own. Your doctor may also discuss local or virtual diabetes prevention programs, which are structured, evidence-based lifestyle change programs.

The Diabetes Prevention Program in more detail

The Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) was a large, multi-year clinical trial that compared lifestyle intervention, medication, and a placebo group among people with prediabetes. The lifestyle group — which focused on modest weight loss and regular activity — reduced the likelihood of progressing to type 2 diabetes substantially more than the placebo group, and outperformed medication alone in that trial. Long-term follow-up has continued to show benefits years later, which is part of why lifestyle change is so consistently emphasized in prediabetes guidance.

What "reversal" doesn't mean

Even when blood sugar returns to a normal range, doctors generally don't consider prediabetes "cured" in the sense that risk disappears permanently. It's more accurate to think of it as risk being substantially reduced through ongoing habits, with periodic monitoring still worthwhile since risk factors like age and family history don't go away. This is a helpful distinction for setting realistic, sustainable expectations rather than an all-or-nothing mindset.

Sources

CDC: Prediabetes · American Diabetes Association: Prediabetes