New guidelines for diabetes mellitus lower the cutoff for impaired fasting glucose from 110 mg/dl to 100 mg/dl. This change could increase the number of people diagnosed with prediabetes by about 20%.

The new guidelines, the first since 1997, were issued by an international committee of experts. Committee members hope that lowering the glucose threshold will help clinicians identify patients at risk for diabetes and prevent or delay progression from impaired glucose tolerance to diabetes. They also hope that earlier intervention will help reduce the risk of diabetic complications, although research hasn't yet proven that lowering glucose levels reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.

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