The Risks And Benefits Of First Line Treatment For Diabetes

A study conducted by French researchers has been published at PLoS Medicine suggested that the long term benefits of metformin compared to its risks are not yet clearly established. This study is in line with the use of this drug to manage type-2 diabetes all around the world; metformin is taken by millions of people who suffer from diabetes with the belief that this medication has long-lasting health benefits.

In the past decades, metformin has been the drug of choice as the first line treatment for type-2 diabetes; it has been recommended along with diet control and exercise can significantly decrease mortality from diabetes of obese people. The study however overlooked the effects of metformin the people who are not obese; metformin may actually increase the risk of death. A new study however was done by Catherine Cornu from the Clinical Investigation Centre in Lyon, France has revealed that there is insufficient data to conclude that metformin may cause death in patients without any weight issues. All available data from relevant studies were re-evaluated with the aim of comparing the benefits versus the risks of taking metformin for type-2 diabetes.

Information revealed from 13 randomized trials that included more than 13,000 patients compared metformin from other drugs used for type-2 diabetes. It revealed that the use of metformin had no effect on the risk of death from all causes or the increase of the risk of dying from cardiovascular diseases. The drug also had no significant effect on the risk of developing cardiovascular conditions like heart attack, heart failure and stroke. The authors of the study also add that the number and the quality of data available are insufficient to make a clear conclusion on the effect of metformin on type-2 diabetes patients.

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