A third of adults in England have “prediabetes,” study says

More than a third of adults in England now have prediabetes, and the prevalence has tripled over the past eight years, new research concludes.1

The authors warned that there would be a steep rise in the incidence of diabetes if action were not taken to stop the “extremely rapid” rise in prediabetes. Between 5% and 10% of people with prediabetes progressed to diabetes every year, and people with higher than normal blood glucose concentrations were at risk of vascular, kidney, and eye problems, it said.

The research, published in the online journal BMJ Open, shows that the prevalence of prediabetes rose from 11.6% in 2003 to 35.3% in 2011. The finding came from an analysis of 20 000 people who took part in the …