Is metformin safe? Know the benefits and side effects of this common diabetes medicine

Folks residing with sort 2 diabetes could know all about metformin, which is an oral treatment taken to handle this well being situation. This drugs works by reducing blood sugar ranges, enhancing insulin sensitivity, and lowering glucose manufacturing by the liver. It’s normally the first-line therapy for sort 2 diabetes, because it helps management blood sugar with out inflicting a number of weight acquire or extreme hypoglycemia or low blood sugar. However that’s not the one advantage of metformin. Other than diabetes administration, this drugs, usually dubbed because the “marvel drug”, can also be used to deal with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) or assist to drop some weight. Know the advantages and unwanted effects of metformin, which is greater than a diabetes drug.

How does metformin assist diabetics?

Metformin helps folks with diabetes by lowering the liver’s glucose manufacturing, enhancing insulin sensitivity, and reducing glucose absorption within the intestines. “These actions decrease blood sugar ranges successfully, particularly in folks with sort 2 diabetes,” says endocrinologist Dr Jaspreet Singh. It doesn’t trigger weight acquire and will even support in weight reduction, making it a useful choice for managing diabetes and stopping weight acquire.

What are the well being advantages of metformin?

Other than managing diabetes, metformin has a number of different well being advantages:

1. Aids weight reduction

metformin customers who misplaced greater than 5 p.c of their weight within the first yr had extra success with sustaining weight reduction in years six to fifteen, discovered a research revealed within the Annals of Inner Drugs in 2019. “Metformin can assist scale back urge for food, which may result in decreased calorie consumption and finally, weight reduction,” says the skilled.

2. Helps handle polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

Metformin can be utilized to deal with PCOS, as it might probably considerably scale back androgen ranges, enhance insulin sensitivity, and regulate menstrual cycle, as per 2023 analysis revealed within the Cureus journal. This treatment may additionally be helpful in treating infertility, a typical downside related to PCOS. A research revealed within the journal Frontiers in Endocrinology discovered the constructive results of metformin on fertility. Ur was discovered that metformin can enhance fertility outcomes in females with insulin resistance related to PCOS.

3. Promotes coronary heart well being

Metformin could carry out related or higher coronary heart protecting results than different medicines equivalent to pioglitazone and glyburide, as per analysis revealed within the Journal Of Mobile And Molecular Drugs in 2022. This drugs has been discovered to cut back the danger of myocardial infarction or coronary heart assault, by a research revealed within the British Journal of Medical Pharmacology. “It might decrease blood stress, and scale back the danger of coronary heart illness,” says Dr Singh.

4. Reduces most cancers threat

The usage of this drugs could assist to lower threat of the prevalence of assorted kinds of cancers, particularly of colon and pancreas, as per analysis revealed within the Annals Of Translational Drugs in 2014. Metformin incorporates anti-inflammatory properties could assist scale back the danger of cancers.

5. Improves liver well being

Metformin could also be useful in folks with non-alcoholic fatty liver illness, in line with analysis revealed within the Journal of the American Pharmacists Affiliation in 2003. “It will possibly assist to cut back liver irritation and enhance liver perform,” says the skilled.

6. Reduces threat of dementia

Its means to enhance insulin signaling within the mind could assist to guard towards cognitive decline and scale back dementia threat. An affiliation was discovered between termination of metformin therapy and elevated dementia incidence throughout a research revealed in JAMA Community Open in 2023.

7. Improves pores and skin well being

Metformin could have useful results on inflammatory pores and skin issues together with psoriasis, zits, and allergic contact dermatitis, as per analysis revealed within the Worldwide Journal Of Molecular Sciences in 2020. It might additionally assist enhance pores and skin texture aside from coping with these pores and skin circumstances.

8. Lowers the danger of lengthy Covid

It might assist to cut back the danger of lengthy Covid in diabetics. Well being information from almost 76000 adults who took metformin for managing sort 2 diabetes have been analysed as a part of a analysis revealed in Diabetes Care in September 2024. They have been in comparison with greater than 13000 adults who took different diabetes medicines. Metformin customers have been as much as 21 p.c much less more likely to have lengthy Covid than those that didn’t take this diabetes drug. This drugs may additionally assist non-diabetics keep away from lengthy Covid. A research, revealed in The Lancet Infectious Ailments 2023, discovered that metformin diminished the danger of lengthy Covid by as much as 40 p.c in overweight or obese adults. Most of them didn’t have diabetes.

What are the unwanted effects of metformin?

Metformin has advantages, however could have some unwanted effects too –

1. Gastrointestinal points

These are a few of the frequent unwanted effects of metformin that always resolve on their very own over time. They might embody –

• Nausea
• Diarrhea
• Fuel
• Bloating
• Lack of urge for food

2. Lactic acidosis

It’s uncommon, however harmful sickness that may trigger exhaustion, muscle weak point, dyspnoea, and abdomen ache. “Individuals who drink a number of alcohol or have particular medical issues, like liver or renal sickness, usually tend to expertise this aspect impact,” says the skilled.

3. Vitamin B12 deficiency

Metformin can intrude with the absorption of vitamin B12. This may trigger anemia, which occurs resulting from a scarcity of pink blood cells within the physique, and results in diminished oxygen circulate to the organs of the physique.

Metformin is not only for diabetes administration, because it helps with PCOS, weight reduction, liver and coronary heart well being. However don’t devour this drugs with out consulting with a health care provider, as it might result in gastrointestinal points and extra.