Have you ever wondered why certain drugs are called “magic bullets”?
In some cases, it’s because the drug has significant health benefits for a specific condition, like insulin for type 1 diabetes or antibiotics for pneumonia. Or it may be because the drug is effective for a variety of conditions. Aspirin has often been called a wonder drug because it can relieve pain, treat or prevent cardiovascular disease, and even prevent cancer.
Could metformin also be added to this list? In the United States, it is approved to treat type 2 diabetes in people 10 years and older when used in conjunction with diet and exercise. However, in recent years there has been growing interest in its potential to prevent or treat a variety of other conditions, including aging. Yes, it’s aging. If this is true, calling it a “magic bullet” may not be an exaggeration.
What is metformin?
The history of metformin dates back hundreds of years. In Europe, the medicinal herb Gallega officinalis was popular for treating digestive health, urinary problems, and other ailments. In 1918, scientists discovered that one of its components, guanidine, could lower blood sugar levels. Drugs containing guanidine, such as metformin and phenformin, were developed to treat diabetes. However, the serious side effects of phenformin and the discovery of insulin made them fall out of favor.
Metformin was rediscovered decades later and approved in Europe as a treatment for diabetes in the 1950s. It wasn’t until 1995 that the FDA approved it for use in the United States. Since then, it has become the most commonly prescribed drug for diabetics who cannot control their blood sugar levels through diet and exercise alone.
Metformin’s benefits may extend beyond diabetes
We’ve known for decades that metformin does more than just lower blood sugar levels in diabetics. It also has benefits for cardiovascular disease, including lower mortality rates from cardiovascular disease. It may also help diabetics lose excess weight.
Metformin may have health benefits even for people who do not have diabetes. Doctors have long prescribed it to treat conditions off-label, that is, outside of its approved use, such as:
- Prediabetes. People with prediabetes have elevated blood sugar levels, but not yet high enough to be classified as diabetic. Metformin may delay the onset of diabetes or prevent diabetes in people with prediabetes.
- gestational diabetes. Pregnant women may experience elevated blood sugar levels, which return to normal after delivery. Metformin helps control blood sugar levels during pregnancy in such women.
- Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The disease tends to affect young women who develop multiple cysts on their ovaries. Irregular menstrual periods and fertility problems are common. Metformin has been prescribed to women with PCOS for years to help with menstrual regulation, fertility, and raising blood sugar levels, although clinical studies have had mixed results.
- Weight gain due to antipsychotics. Antipsychotics are powerful medications prescribed for mental illnesses such as schizophrenia. One common side effect is significant weight gain. Metformin may reduce weight gain in people taking these drugs.
Additionally, researchers are investigating the potential of metformin.
The majority of studies on metformin have only looked at people with diabetes or pre-diabetes, so it’s unclear whether these potential benefits are limited to or affect people with those conditions. is. without it Diabetes may also benefit.
What about side effects?
Metformin has a very good safety profile. Side effects include nausea, upset stomach, and diarrhea. These tend to be mild. More serious side effects are rare. These include severe allergic reactions and a condition called lactic acidosis, where lactic acid builds up in the bloodstream. This risk is higher in people with severe kidney disease, so doctors tend to avoid prescribing metformin for them.
conclusion
According to current diabetes guidelines, metformin is the first-line treatment for type 2 diabetes. It is relatively inexpensive and its potential side effects are well understood.
If you have diabetes and need metformin to lower your blood sugar levels, the other potential health benefits are side effects that are nice rather than harmful. And what if you don’t have diabetes? Well, its role in preventing and treating disease, and even slowing aging and extending lifespan, is less clear.
Although research so far is promising, more convincing evidence is needed before supporting widespread use in people without diabetes. But for clinical researchers looking to repurpose an old drug into a new wonder drug, metformin may seem like a great starting point.
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