Type 2 diabetes does not develop from one day to the next. People often go through a longer preliminary stage of diabetes (prediabetes), in which the blood sugar levels are already elevated. However, whether they develop manifest type 2 diabetes and which risks of complications they have varies from person to person. With the help of data from the TUEF/TULIP study, the Tübingen DZD partner (IDM) has succeeded in identifying different subtypes of prediabetes. As a result, the risk of contracting the disease can be assessed more precisely and possibly be reduced in future through targeted prevention. 

Classifying prediabetes into subtypes might allow an individual approach to prediabetes in the future. Targeted therapies could prevent or at least delay the development of further complications.