Pubertal metformin therapy to reduce total, visceral, and hepatic adiposity
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Puberty is part of a critical window in which adiposity and its correlates can be fine-tuned toward reproduction, which implies that puberty provides an opportunity to reprogram a misprogramming that occurred in early life. We tested this hypothesis in low-birthweight (LBW) girls with precocious pubarche (PP), who are at risk for hyperinsulinemic body adiposity during and beyond puberty.
STUDY DESIGN: LBW girls with PP (n = 38; mean age 8 years) were randomized to remain untreated or to receive metformin across puberty (425 mg/d for 2 years, then 850 mg/d for 2 years); subsequently, all girls were monitored for 1 year without intervention. Here we report on the latter year.
RESULTS: The benefits of metformin were mostly maintained during the posttreatment year so that, after 5 years, metformin therapy was associated with more lean mass; with less total, visceral, and hepatic fat; with lower circulating levels of androgens and leptin; and with elevated levels of high-molecular-weight adiponectin and undercarboxylated osteocalcin.
CONCLUSION: In LBW girls with PP, pubertal metformin therapy was followed by a favorable adipokine profile and by a reduction of total, visceral, and hepatic adiposity beyond puberty.
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a randomized trial, done in people. Its evidence level is 2 of 5 (High · randomized trial). Randomized trials of a reasonable size are the strongest single-study design. Reported size: 38 participants or records.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Metformin as an adjuvant in breast cancer treatment
- Metformin Lysosomal Targeting: A Novel Aspect to Be Investigated for Metformin Repurposing in Neurodegenerative Diseases?
- Aberrant HSF1 signaling activation underlies metformin amelioration of myocardial infarction in mice
- Metformin induces ZFP36 by mTORC1 inhibition in cervical cancer-derived cell lines
- Protein Interaction Network for Identifying Vascular Response of Metformin (Oral Antidiabetic)
- Preventing Long COVID With Metformin
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.