Metformin seems to prevent disease
Q: Much has been made of the anti-aging, life-extending effects of the diabetes drug metformin. Should we all be taking that medication?
A: Worldwide, metformin is the first-line oral treatment for Type 2 diabetes. It’s also used to help control prediabetes, so it doesn’t progress to full-blown Type 2 and to lower glucose levels in women who develop gestational diabetes during pregnancy. It’s proved helpful for women with polycystic ovary syndrome since it may regulate their periods, lower elevated glucose and protect fertility. And it’s sometimes prescribed to help people counter the weight-gaining impact of antipsychotic drugs.
However, lately there has been a lot of conversation about its effects that seem to prevent disease and prolong a healthy life.
— A study in Primary Care Diabetes found that it may lower the risk of breast, prostate and colon cancer in folks with Type 2.
— Another in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease found that it protected against cognitive decline and was associated with a lower rate of dementia in those with diabetes.
— A 2013 study found that it lowers the risk for stroke in people with diabetes and their death rates due to cardiovascular disease.
— And preliminary studies show it increases what the researchers call your “healthspan,” because it improves the body’s response to insulin, helps fight inflammation and improves the health of your blood vessels.
If you have diabetes and take metformin, you may be gaining those extra benefits. The negative side effects include mild nausea, stomach upset or diarrhea, but serious side effects are unusual.
However, we don’t know about the benefits (or risks) in people without diabetes. There’s evidence that people who exercise may not benefit from metformin, and some evidence that if you use it before you need it, it may lose it effectiveness in helping to reverse prediabetes. Clearly, a lot of research remains to be done before metformin can be prescribed to anyone solely for its health-protecting benefits.