The oral diabetes drug metformin[1] may prevent weight regain in people who have shed pounds, according to a new study follow-up published in the Annals of Internal Medicine[2].
Of participants who lost at least 5% of their body weight at 1 year in the landmark Diabetes Prevention Program[3] trial, those who took metformin maintained the greatest weight loss compared to those who changed their lifestyle or took a placebo (inactive treatment).
“Those who lost weight initially after 1 year had remarkable maintenance of the weight loss with metformin, something we had never known before,” said study author Kishore M. Gadde, MD, in an interview with Medscape Medical News[4].
Further studies are need to confirm the findings, Gadde noted, and doctors should decide on a case-by-case basis if the medicine is appropriate to help with weight maintenance, Leslie I. Katzel, MD, PhD, and John D. Sorkin, MD, PhD, stated in an accompanying editorial[5].
Want to learn more about metformin? Read “What to Know About Metformin,”[6] “Diabetes Medicine: Metformin,”[7] and “Metformin: The Unauthorized Biography.”[8]
Source URL: https://www.diabetesselfmanagement.com/blog/metformin-may-prevent-weight-regain/
Diane Fennell: Diane Fennell has been an editor at Diabetes Self-Management magazine since 2003. She is currently the Editorial Director. (Diane Fennell is not a medical professional.)
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