Metformin News and Research

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Metformin is the active ingredient in a drug used to treat diabetes mellitus (a condition in which the body cannot control the level of sugar in the blood). It is also being studied in the treatment of cancer. It decreases the amount of glucose (a type of sugar) released into the bloodstream from the liver and increases the body’s use of the glucose. Metformin is a type of antidiabetic agent.

Common diabetes drug metformin cuts long covid risk by 64 percent in UK study

A large UK-based retrospective cohort study found that initiating metformin within 90 days of COVID-19 diagnosis reduced the risk of Long COVID by 64% in overweight and obese adults. The findings suggest metformin may offer a low-cost preventive option pending confirmation from randomized trials.

8 Sep 2025

Research reveals molecular details of ME/CFS and long COVID

Patients with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS) have heightened innate immune responses to bacteria, viruses, and fungi. While these responses are essential to fight infection, they can cause damage when unchecked.

1 Sep 2025

Why metformin could protect the brain by rewiring mitochondria

Metformin boosts human oligodendrocyte differentiation and myelination across stem-cell, organoid, and chimera models. The study links these effects to mitochondrial metabolic shifts, supporting its potential as a therapy for multiple sclerosis.

1 Sep 2025

Diabetes drug metformin alters blood metal levels in humans

The widely used diabetes drug metformin changes blood metal levels in humans. The Kobe University study is an important step in understanding the drug's many actions and designing better ones in the future.

1 Sep 2025

How do common painkillers drive stronger E. coli resistance?

Research shows that non-antibiotic medications like ibuprofen can enhance E. coli mutations, raising concerns about antimicrobial resistance in older adults.

29 Aug 2025

Common painkillers ibuprofen and paracetamol found to fuel antibiotic resistance

Ibuprofen and paracetamol are common over-the-counter medications that many of us reach for when we're sick. But new research from the University of South Australia shows that these trusted staples are quietly fuelling one of the world's biggest health threats: antibiotic resistance.

25 Aug 2025

Fat location, not BMI, drives heart ageing risk in men and women

Researchers using UK Biobank imaging data found that where fat is stored in the body, not just how much, determines cardiovascular ageing. Visceral, liver, and muscle fat accelerate ageing, while gynoid fat protects women before menopause.

25 Aug 2025

How dietary formaldehyde links to worsening diabetes and memory loss

A new review reveals how everyday foods and hidden exposures to formaldehyde may fuel insulin resistance and chip away at memory, but also points to dietary patterns and emerging therapies that could help reduce the risk.

20 Aug 2025

Could chlorophyll become the next antidiabetic therapy?

Research highlights chlorophyll's role in blood sugar regulation and insulin mimicry, though safety risks and lack of human trials warrant caution.

20 Aug 2025

Scientists urge shift in medicine to target the biology of aging

The most recent issue of Journal of the American Medical Association includes a landmark review highlighting innovative strategies to slow the biological aging process, an emerging approach with significant potential to prevent or delay multiple chronic diseases at once, one of the most pressing challenges in modern medicine today.

18 Aug 2025

Updated multidisciplinary European guidelines redefine MASLD diagnosis and treatment

The 2024 European clinical practice guidelines introduce a pivotal terminology shift, replacing NAFLD (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease) with MASLD (metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease) and NASH with MASH (metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis).

7 Aug 2025

Diabetes drug linked to lower risks of dementia and early death

New research in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism reveals that metformin, a medication traditionally prescribed to treat diabetes, is linked to lower risks of dementia and early death.

6 Aug 2025

Understanding the importance of B vitamins for health

Eight different vitamins make up the B complex, and they all play crucial roles in the body, such as producing energy, keeping our nervous system healthy, and supporting cell development.

4 Aug 2025

Metformin’s blood sugar control starts in the brain, not just the liver, study finds

Low, clinically relevant doses of metformin lower blood glucose by inhibiting the Rap1 protein in specific neurons of the hypothalamus, revealing a brain-first mechanism. This action is essential for metformin’s effect at therapeutic doses and highlights new directions for diabetes treatment.

3 Aug 2025

Metformin lowers blood sugar by acting on brain pathways

Although metformin has been the go-to medication to manage type 2 diabetes for more than 60 years, researchers still do not have a complete picture of how it works.

31 Jul 2025

Commonly used type 2 diabetes medication linked to higher rate of heart-related conditions

New research from investigators at Mass General Brigham suggests that a commonly used type 2 diabetes medication is linked to a higher rate of heart-related conditions compared to medications that hit other targets.

24 Jul 2025

New redox-sensitive pathway reveals how cells activate AMPK in response to metabolic stress

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) plays a central role in maintaining energy balance in cells, especially under energy stress.

24 Jul 2025

GLP-1 receptor agonists linked to lower dementia risk in type 2 diabetes

GLP-1 receptor agonists, a class of drug used to treat type 2 diabetes, likely trump the widely prescribed metformin for curbing dementia risk in people with the condition, finds the largest study of its kind, published in the open access journal BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care.

22 Jul 2025

Mapping metformin’s kidney effects through spatial multi-omics

Metformin is a widely used first-line therapy for type 2 diabetes, and studies increasingly point to its protective effects on the kidney.

22 Jul 2025

New guideline recommends proper preconception care for women with diabetes

A joint guideline released today from the Endocrine Society and the European Society of Endocrinology (ESE) recommends women with diabetes receive proper preconception care and access to emerging diabetes technology and therapeutics to manage their blood sugar before, during and after pregnancy.

13 Jul 2025