Metformin

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 29, 2025 -- “Hidden hunger” -- low levels of essential vitamins or minerals -- is common among people with type 2 diabetes , a new evidence review says Overall, as many as 45% of type 2 diabetics are suffering multiple deficiencies in vitamins, minerals and electrolytes, researchers reported Jan. 28 in the journal BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health . The review “exemplifies the double burden of malnutrition in action,” where people trying to manage their diabetes through diet wind up with nutritional deficiencies, concluded the research team led by Dr. Daya Krishan Mangal , an adjunct professor at the International Institute of Health Management Research in Jaipur, India. For the evidence review, researchers pooled results from 132 prior studies involving more than 52,500 participants between 1998 and 2023. Very low levels of vitamin D were the most common deficiency, affecting more than 60% of people with type 2 diabetes. Other common deficiencies included magnesium (42%), iron (28%) and vitamin B12 (22%). People on the diabetes drug metformin were at higher risk for B12 deficiency, with 29% having low levels of that vitamin. Women with diabetes were more likely to have vitamin deficiencies than men, 49% versus 43%, results show. And diabetics in North and South America had the highest levels of vitamin deficiencies, with 54% suffering a lack of specific nutrients. “The treatment of type 2 diabetes often tends to focus on energy metabolism and macronutrients, but the identification of a higher prevalence of specific micronutrient deficiencies in those affected is a reminder that optimizing overall nutrition should always be a priority,” the research team concluded. These deficiencies might cause people’s diabetes to become worse, as many different nutrients are involved in metabolism, researchers said. They also could cause other health problems. On the other hand, nutritional deficiencies could be linked to developing type 2 diabetes in the first place. “Micronutrient deficiencies may influence glucose metabolism and insulin signalling pathways, leading to the onset and progression of type 2 diabetes,” researchers wrote. Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.

MONDAY, Dec. 30, 2024 -- In a guideline published online Dec. 9 in Schizophrenia Bulletin , recommendations are presented for the use of metformin to prevent antipsychotic-induced weight gain (AIWG). Aoife Carolan, from Saint John of God Hospital in Dublin, and colleagues developed a guideline for use of metformin for prevention of AIWG, following the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II instrument (AGREE II). The authors note that the only pharmacological instrument that has demonstrated efficacy for preventing AIWG is metformin. Compared with controls, co-commencement with antipsychotic medications can reduce weight gain by 4.03 kg. The guideline for metformin use was developed for co-commencement with an antipsychotic or commencement if certain criteria are met. Strong recommendations include co-commencement of metformin with medium-risk antipsychotics in the presence of one or more cardiometabolic risk factors or in those aged 10 to 25 years, as well as commencement of metformin with any antipsychotic if a >3 percent increase in baseline body weight occurs during the first year of treatment. "This is the first published evidence-based guideline using the AGREE II framework and GRADE methods for the use of metformin to prevent AIWG incorporating recommendations for co-commencement," the authors write. "Implementation and evaluation of the guideline will be supported by a shared decision-making package and assessment of barriers and facilitators to implementation." Abstract/Full Text Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.