Celebrating 30 Years of Diabetes Prevention

This year, we're celebrating the 30th anniversary of DPP! Funding for DPP was initiated in 1994 and the first participant was randomized in 1996. Over the past three decades, the DPP/DPPOS collaboration has served as a model for how large-scale clinical studies should be accomplished - as a team of researchers, health care staff, and participants, all working together, with respect for each other and the common goal of bettering the nation's health. To celebrate this milestone, we are colelcting stories from our participants, their families, and our study staff to showcase the power of participation. Read their stories.

30 Years of Impacts

58%​​​

The original DPP study found that lifestyle interventions reduced risk of developing diabetes by 58%.

The primary manuscript for the DPP trial was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2002 and has since been cited more than 26,000 times, the most frequent citation in the diabetes prevention literature. The DPP Research Group as since published over 200 scientific articles. 
DPP was a multicenter, randomized controlled clinical trial that recruited 3234 participants (68% female and 45% from underrepreseneted ethnic/racial groups) from 27 clinical centers across the United States (1996-1999). The DPP lifestyle program has since been endorsed by CDC and YMCA and is now supported by Medicare. ​​​​​​​
DPP has proven that lifestyle interventions to prevent diabetes are cost-saving and that metformin is cost-neutral by preventing hospital stays and reducing medical treatment needed throughout life. ​​​​​​​

31%

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​The original DPP study found that metformin reduced risk of developing diabetes by 31%.

To read a summary of primary findings from the DPP Research Group, read the recent highlight in the NIDDK Anniversary Collection.

Our Current Locations

DPP 30th Anniversary Collection featured in Diabetes Care

The October 2025 issue of Diabetes Care included a special collection of DPP/DPPOS papers to celebrate DPP's 30th anniversary (1995-2025). The DPPOS study cohort is perhaps the largest and longest-running study on lifestyle interventions for diabetes prevention globally. Over three decades, our study has demonstrated that diabetes can be prevented or delayed and contributed over 200 scientific articles to the literature. The special collection includes five papers representing a range of topics.