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Long term treatment with metformin in patients with type 2 diabetes and risk of vitamin B-12 deficiency: randomised placebo controlled trial

Jolien de Jager, Adriaan Kooy, Philippe Lehert, M. G. Wulffelé, J. van der Kolk, D. Bets, Jan Verburg, A. J. M. Donker et al.

BMJ, 2010

390 participants · 699 citations

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To study the effects of metformin on the incidence of vitamin B-12 deficiency (220 pmol/l). CONCLUSIONS: Long term treatment with metformin increases the risk of vitamin B-12 deficiency, which results in raised homocysteine concentrations. Vitamin B-12 deficiency is preventable; therefore, our findings suggest that regular measurement of vitamin B-12 concentrations during long term metformin treatment should be strongly considered. Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov NCT00375388.

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: 390 participants or records.

How the five levels of evidence work. The level is assigned automatically from the abstract and can be wrong, so check the paper.

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