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GLP-1 and SGLT2 drugs prevent type 2 diabetes in high-risk individuals: updated meta-analysis

RPEP-138382025Tsironikos, Georgios I; Tsolaki, Vasiliki; Zakynthinos, George E; Kyprianidou, Despoina; Rammou, Vasiliki; Antonogiannis, Thomas; Mprotsis, Theodoros; Zakynthinos, Epameinondas; Bargiota, Alexandra
evidence
The takeaway

Updated meta-analysis confirms GLP-1 RAs and SGLT2 inhibitors prevent T2DM development in high-risk adults, with both individual and combined approaches showing significant diabetes risk reduction.

Prevention, not just treatment

GLP-1 and SGLT2 drugs can prevent type 2 diabetes in high-risk adults—shifting the paradigm from treating to preventing this global epidemic

What the researchers found

GLP-1 RAs + SGLT2i: both prevent T2DM in high-risk adults. Individual + combined effects assessed. Updated meta-analysis. Diabetes prevention paradigm.

Why it matters

Preventing diabetes is far more impactful than treating it. If GLP-1 drugs can keep high-risk individuals from developing T2DM, this could prevent millions of new diabetes cases worldwide.

How the study worked

Updated systematic review and meta-analysis of GLP-1RA and SGLT2i for T2DM prevention in high-risk populations.

What this study cannot tell us

Meta-analysis. Prevention studies have various definitions of "high-risk." Long-term prevention durability unknown after drug cessation.

How to read the evidence

Updated meta-analysis of available prevention evidence.

When this study was published

Published in 2025.

The bigger picture

Diabetes prevention with GLP-1 drugs could be one of the most cost-effective interventions in medicine—preventing a lifelong disease with a time-limited drug course.

Questions still open

  • How long must GLP-1 drugs be taken to prevent T2DM?
  • Does the prevention effect persist after stopping the drug?
  • Should all prediabetic patients receive GLP-1 drugs?

Common questions

Can GLP-1 drugs prevent diabetes?
Yes. This updated analysis confirms both GLP-1 and SGLT2 drugs can prevent type 2 diabetes from developing in high-risk individuals—not just treat it once established. This is a major shift toward prevention rather than treatment.
Who should get GLP-1 drugs for prevention?
People at high risk for type 2 diabetes—those with prediabetes, obesity, family history, and metabolic syndrome—may benefit most. This analysis supports using these drugs to prevent diabetes development, though guidelines on exactly who should receive preventive treatment are still evolving.

Read the original research

Effectiveness of GLP-1 RAs and SGLT2 inhibitors in preventing T2DM in high-risk patients: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis.

Frontiers in clinical diabetes and healthcare, 6, 1694808

View on PubMed ↗Publisher’s paper ↗

Citation

Tsironikos, Georgios I; Tsolaki, Vasiliki; Zakynthinos, George E; Kyprianidou, Despoina; Rammou, Vasiliki; Antonogiannis, Thomas; Mprotsis, Theodoros; Zakynthinos, Epameinondas; Bargiota, Alexandra. (2025). Effectiveness of GLP-1 RAs and SGLT2 inhibitors in preventing T2DM in high-risk patients: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis.. Frontiers in clinical diabetes and healthcare, 6, 1694808. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcdhc.2025.1694808