Treating prediabetes with metformin: systematic review and meta-analysis
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To determine if the use of metformin in people with prediabetes (impaired glucose tolerance or impaired fasting glucose) would prevent or delay the onset of frank type 2 diabetes mellitus.
DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE was searched from January 1966 to the present, and articles meeting the selection criteria were hand searched.
STUDY SELECTION: Randomized controlled trials that involved administration of metformin to delay or prevent type 2 diabetes in individuals with impaired glucose tolerance or impaired fasting glucose were included. Development of diabetes was a required outcome measure; follow-up time of at least 6 months was required. Three studies met these criteria.
SYNTHESIS: The 3 studies varied in ethnicity of the population studied, in the rates of conversion to diabetes from prediabetes, and in the dose of metformin used. In general the studies were well done, although 2 of the 3 did not do true intention-to-treat analyses. A sensitivity analysis was completed by converting all data to intention-to-treat data and assuming a worst-case scenario for the people who were lost to follow-up.
CONCLUSION: Metformin decreases the rate of conversion from prediabetes to diabetes. This was true at higher dosage (850 mg twice daily) and lower dosage (250 mg twice or 3 times daily); in people of varied ethnicity; and even when a sensitivity analysis was applied to the data. The number needed to treat was between 7 and 14 for treatment over a 3-year period.
OBJECTIF:…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a meta-analysis, done in people. Its evidence level is 1 of 5 (Highest · pooled evidence). Pooled evidence from several studies sits at the top of the evidence pyramid.
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.