Metformin Reduces Risk of Diabetes by 22%, Results of Latest Meta-analysis

The addition of metformin to intensive Lifestyle Modifications (LSM) is an effective value addition among patients with pre-diabetes at high risk of progression to T2DM, a recent systematic review and meta-analysis study has concluded.

This study has been published in the June 2024 issue of Clinical Diabetology, Via Medica Journals.

The meta-analysis included 8,869 patients with prediabetes. Patients were grouped into two interventions- 4,328 in the metformin arm and 4,541 in the control arm (lifestyle modification/placebo).

Key highlights from the meta-analysis include:

• The use of metformin resulted in a 22% relative risk reduction in the progression from prediabetes to diabetes compared to lifestyle modification and/or placebo.

This meta-analysis concludes that early intervention with metformin reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes in high-risk individuals with prediabetes¹ . The huge global burden of prediabetes with an approximate 25% rate of conversion to diabetes represents the tip of the “sugary” iceberg.

These findings also co-relate with the most recently published analysis of UKPDS with regards to early intervention with metformin in T2D. Over the largest 42-year follow-up, the study showed that intensive glycemic control with metformin, compared to conventional glycemic control, led to a 20% reduction in the risk of death from any cause and a 31% reduction in the risk of myocardial infarction².

*UKPDS: United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study

References:

1) Ghosal, S., Tippisetty, S., Polisetti, S., & Seshadri, K. G. (2024). Metformin for the Prevention of Prediabetes Progression to Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Clinical Diabetology, Via Medica Journals.

2) Adler, A. I., Coleman, R. L., Leal, J., Whiteley, W. N., Clarke, P. & Holman, R. R. (2024). Post-trial monitoring of a randomised controlled trial of intensive glycaemic control in type 2 diabetes extended from 10 years to 24 years (UKPDS 91). Lancet, doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(24)00537-3