Metformin Help Reduce Dementia Rates, Study Suggests

Jan, 2021 - By WMR

Metformin is one of the most commonly prescribed medications, with millions of individuals, with type 2 diabetes, using it to optimize their blood sugar levels.

According to new research, older diabetic patients who use a drug named metformin experience slower rates of dementia and cognitive decline than those not using the drug. The research has shown that this common medicine produces anti-aging effects. Moreover, the researchers found that the rate of cognitive decline was similar between diabetics and non-diabetics patients taking metformin. Metformin is the first-line medication for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, particularly in people who are overweight.

Metformin is one of the most commonly prescribed medications in the United States, with millions of individuals, with type 2 diabetes, using it to optimize their blood sugar levels. However, over the years, researchers have begun to investigate the astonishing geroprotective properties of the drug. A geroprotective agent aims to affect the root cause of aging and age-related diseases, and thus prolong the life span of animals. In previous animal studies, metformin has been found to have life-extending effects, and a 2019 study has described how the drug can modify its anti-aging results.

Comprehensive systemic effects of metformin in humans have been slightly more difficult to understand. Moreover, metformin has been administered safely to millions of diabetic patients for decades, it is challenging to separate the effect of the drug from its other potential benefits on the disease. The research was commenced in 2005 and examined more than 1,000 individuals aged 70 to 90 years. The objective was to examine the effects of aging on cognition. None of them displayed signs of dementia at the beginning of the study. Around 123 had diabetes, of which around half were taking metformin. The team found that the rate of cognitive decline was significantly slower in individuals taking metformin. The research was published in the journal Diabetes Care.