Written by Tracy Norfleet, MD, MBA, FACP | Reviewed by Patricia Pinto-Garcia, MD, MPH Updated on August 11, 2022 from Good Rx
Key takeaways:
- Metformin can do much more than treat diabetes. And researchers continue to study and find ways it can help treat other conditions.
- Metformin can help with weight loss and reduce the size of your waist.
- Metformin can also improve fertility. It even helps people with certain medical conditions live longer.
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Metformin is the first-choice oral treatment for Type 2 diabetes. It improves the effects of insulin on the liver and skeletal muscles. But researchers have found many other uses for metformin beyond diabetes treatment. The benefits of metformin range from improving fertility to increasing life span. Let’s take a look at seven benefits of metformin.
1. Metformin and fertility
Metformin can improve fertility for some people who have trouble getting pregnant. Metformin reduces insulin levels in the bloodstream. This promotes egg release from the ovary (or ovulation). This is an important first step in getting pregnant — without an egg, there’s nothing for sperm to fertilize.
Experts agree that it’s best to use metformin alone to help people get and stay pregnant. But, in some cases, healthcare providers may recommend metformin along with clomiphene to help people get pregnant.
Studies also show that metformin may improve male fertility in those with obesity. Metformin might also help male infertility treatments work better.
2. Metformin and longevity
In mice, metformin prolongs life span and improves immunity. But in humans, things aren’t as clear cut. Researchers think metformin decreases the risk of early death from certain medical conditions, including diabetes and heart disease.
In other words, when it’s part of a medical treatment plan, metformin increases the number of healthy years in your life if you have these medical conditions. But it’s not a fountain of youth — it won’t keep you from aging, and it doesn’t add years to everyone’s life.
3. Metformin and weight loss
There’s evidence that metformin can help treat obesity and obesity-related conditions, like metabolic syndrome. Metformin can help people with obesity reduce their weight, even if they don’t have diabetes.
The Diabetes Prevention Study is the largest study to show the weight benefits of metformin. This study found that people who took metformin lost weight and reduced their waist size. And the results lasted long term.
4. Metformin and cancer
In lab models, metformin can slow some tumor growth and stop certain tumors from forming. But it’s not yet clear if metformin can stop cancer from developing in living people. Studies are also looking at whether metformin helps treat cancer when used as part of standard cancer therapy. Here’s what experts know so far:
- Colon cancer: Studies show that people with diabetes who take metformin have a lower risk of developing colon polyps that can turn into colon cancer. Researchers are investigating whether metformin can help prevent polyps from forming in people who don’t have diabetes.
- Prostate cancer: There’s evidence that people with prostate cancer who took metformin as part of their hormonal therapy lived longer and responded better to treatment.
- Breast cancer: There’s some evidence that people with Type 2 diabetes who take metformin develop cancer less often. But it’s not clear yet if metformin helps treat breast cancer when people use it as part of a breast cancer treatment plan.
5. Metformin and COVID-19
Early studies showed that women taking metformin for Type 2 diabetes or obesity treatment were less likely to die from COVID-19 illness. It’s not yet clear if the metformin itself was responsible for this effect.
So far studies haven’t shown that metformin reduces everyone’s risk of developing severe illness related to COVID-19. So if you’ve been diagnosed with COVID-19, there’s no reason to take metformin, unless it’s already part of your medical care plan.
6. Metformin and diabetes prevention
Metformin can decrease your risk of developing diabetes. Studies show that people with obesity and metabolic syndrome who took metformin decreased their risk of developing diabetes by 30%. And the benefits lasted long term — the risk of developing diabetes decreased 18% over 15 years.
7. Metformin and dementia
Studies show that people with diabetes who take metformin have a lower risk of dementia than those who take other diabetes medications, like glipizide or glyburide. But right now there’s no evidence that taking metformin prevents people from developing dementia.
The bottom line
Metformin has many more benefits beyond its first use in the treatment of diabetes. More and more studies continue to find additional benefits of metformin. In the future, healthcare teams may use metformin to treat and prevent a number of conditions, including dementia, cancer, and COVID-19.
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