What Are the Benefits of Metformin?

Key Takeaways

Metformin’s main benefit is controlling blood glucose levels in people with type 2 diabetes. Keeping diabetes under control will help lower the risk of metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, heart attack, and stroke.
Interestingly, healthcare providers sometimes prescribe metformin off-label for obesity, liver disease, kidney disease, cancer, and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and it may even have anti-aging benefits.

Metformin is a prescription oral diabetes drug that belongs to a group of medications called biguanides. It can be used alone or with other diabetes medications to control high blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Taking metformin may also be beneficial for people with certain other health conditions. Please continue reading to find out the benefits of metformin for glucose control, as well as the other health benefits of metformin treatment.

What are the positive effects of metformin?

The positive effects of metformin therapy in people with type 2 diabetes are as follows:

Controls blood glucose levels

Diabetes is a risk factor for metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, cardiovascular events such as heart attack and stroke, and other chronic age-related diseases.

Taking metformin helps to control high blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus. As mentioned, this oral diabetes medication reduces glucose formation in the liver and glucose absorption from food in the intestines. Learn more about how metformin works.

Increases insulin sensitivity

Over time, cells in the body develop insulin resistance, meaning they stop responding to insulin hormones that help lower blood sugar levels. Metformin improves insulin sensitivity, for example, by enhancing insulin-stimulated glucose utilization by skeletal muscle cells.

Prevents weight gain

Being overweight or obese is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Metformin benefits include the prevention of weight gain and may even promote weight loss. This diabetes drug can result in a modest amount of weight loss when used along with a healthy diet and exercise regimen. It is, therefore, sometimes used off-label for weight reduction.

What exactly does metformin do to your body?

Metformin has an effect on glucose metabolism and glucose transport, which makes it useful as a diabetes treatment. In other words, metformin takes care of the metabolic organization of your body. This diabetes drug reduces hepatic gluconeogenesis (glucose production in the liver) through its effect on an enzyme called AMP-activated protein kinase.

Metformin use also reduces the absorption of glucose from food in the intestines and reduces glucose production by the liver. In addition, metformin increases glucose uptake in peripheral tissues and improves insulin sensitivity.

What else is metformin used for besides diabetes?

Metformin treatment is FDA-approved for type 2 diabetes. In addition, metformin exerts a beneficial effect on many other health conditions.

Obesity

Taking metformin can result in a modest amount of weight loss in non-diabetic individuals.

Liver diseases

The beneficial effects of metformin include a reduced incidence of fatty liver disease, a decreased mortality rate in patients with cirrhosis, and a reduced incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Cardiovascular diseases

Diabetes is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Metformin reduces the risk of coronary artery disease, heart failure, cardiovascular events like myocardial infarction (heart attack) and stroke, and cardiovascular mortality.

Cancer treatment

Metformin therapy has been found to slow the growth and cause cell cycle arrest of certain types of cancer cells. It may prevent the spread of some types of cancers, including breast, bone, liver, pancreas, colorectal, endometrial, kidney, lung, blood, and skin cancers. There is also evidence that metformin reduces cancer risk and cancer-related mortality in diabetic individuals.

Kidney diseases

Diabetes is a cause of kidney diseases such as acute kidney injury and chronic kidney disease. Therefore, keeping diabetes under control can help reduce the risk of kidney failure in the long run. However, metformin is not recommended for people with severely reduced renal function (estimated glomerular filtration rate or eGFR below 30 mL/minute/1.73 m2). This is because, in people with reduced kidney function, metformin can accumulate in the body and increase the risk of a serious condition called lactic acidosis.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

PCOS is an endocrine disorder in which there is increased insulin resistance, multiple cysts in the ovaries, irregular menstrual periods, and infertility. The diabetes medication metformin is an insulin-sensitizing agent. It can act as an effective inducer of ovulation in women with PCOS. Metformin can be used alone or with other infertility medications, such as clomiphene.

Gestational diabetes

Gestational diabetes refers to high blood glucose levels during pregnancy. This condition is associated with an increased risk of health complications in both the pregnant woman and her developing baby. Learn more about metformin and pregnancy.

Taking metformin for gestational diabetes can lower the risk of complications such as preeclampsia (high blood pressure) in the mother and premature birth, larger than normal size, hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), breathing problems, and jaundice in the baby.

Potential anti-aging benefits

Metformin improves age-related diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cognitive disorders like dementia. Taking metformin may potentially lead to a longer lifespan in patients with these health conditions. Check out our blog to learn more about the connection between metformin and dementia.

Why is metformin called the miracle drug?

Metformin is sometimes called a miracle drug because it is very effective in controlling blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes and is also beneficial for other health conditions. Here are some of the key benefits of metformin treatment:

Metformin is readily available and relatively inexpensive, and its side effects are well understood.
Common side effects of metformin (nausea, stomach upset, diarrhea) are usually mild, and the drug is generally well tolerated. More serious side effects, such as lactic acidosis, are rare and tend to occur in people with severe kidney disease.
Metformin can prevent or delay the onset of diabetes in people with prediabetes.
It can be used alone or with other diabetes treatments, including oral diabetes drugs and insulin, to achieve glycemic control in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
In addition to being an anti-diabetic drug, metformin protects the heart and lowers the risk of heart disease.
It can be used to treat conditions such as gestational diabetes, polycystic ovary syndrome, and weight gain associated with antipsychotic drugs.
Metformin has also been studied for slowing aging, preventing many types of cancers, and slowing cancer cell proliferation and tumor growth in people with cancer.

Key Takeaways

Metformin is a first-line treatment for type 2 diabetes recommended by the American Diabetes Association. It can be used alone or with other diabetes medications.

If you have diabetes and are taking a daily dose of metformin to lower blood glucose levels, the additional effects of metformin are a wonderful bonus. However, if you don’t have diabetes, the beneficial effects of metformin in preventing or treating other diseases are less well understood.

More research and clinical trials are needed to understand other potential benefits of metformin. If you are interested in other benefits of metformin besides diabetes, you should discuss the potential risks and benefits with your doctor.

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