Doctors have found an unexpected use for Metformin, a medication that has been treating diabetes for over 50 years.
Researchers from the University of Utah Health have found that this medicine doesn’t just control blood sugar, it also helps muscles stay healthy, especially in older people.
This is great news as strong muscles help people recover faster from injuries or illnesses.
Wonder Drug on a Tiny Level
Now, you might ask, how can a diabetes drug help with muscle health? The answer lies in how the medicine works on tiny parts of our body, the cells.
The scientists have found that Metformin targets a particular type of cell, which they called “zombie-like cells” or senescent cells.
These cells are like troublemakers, creating inflammation, which can lead to hardening or scarring of tissues. This hardening process can make muscles weaker. But Metformin can help control these troublesome cells, reducing muscle weakness.
Dr. Micah Drummond, the leader of the research team, said they are keen to see if this discovery can be used in a real-life situation.
For example, knee surgeries in older people can take a long time to recover from. Could giving a patient Metformin help their muscles bounce back faster?
Boosting Muscle Recovery
When we get older, we’re more likely to fall, get sick, or develop a long-term illness, and weaker muscles increase these risks. The research team wanted to find a treatment that could help improve muscle health and recovery.
Senescent cells are not all bad. In fact, in healthy, younger people, they play an important role in the recovery process after an injury.
So, it’s not about getting rid of these cells completely, but controlling them better. As we get older, our bodies find it harder to manage these cells, and this can slow down recovery. That’s where Metformin can help.
Testing Metformin on Humans
To see if Metformin works on humans, the team gathered 20 healthy older men and women for a study that lasted several weeks. Before the study started, each person had a muscle biopsy and MRI scan.
The participants were then divided into two groups. One group was given Metformin, and the other group received a placebo, a pill with no medicine in it.
After this, the participants spent five days on bed rest, which can often lead to muscle weakening.
The researchers then took another muscle biopsy and MRI scan from each participant, and stopped the treatment. Each participant then spent seven days moving around normally, followed by a final muscle biopsy.
Promising Results
Drummond said they found two important things from their study. Firstly, the participants who took Metformin during bed rest had less muscle weakening.
Secondly, these same participants also had less fibrosis, or hardening of the muscles, during the recovery period.
Drummond’s team also studied the muscle biopsies from the participants and found that those who took Metformin had fewer signs of senescent cells.
Future Possibilities
Lead author Jonathan Petrocelli said that this is the first study that directly links Metformin to improved muscle recovery in older people.
Their goal is to help patients maintain their muscle strength as they age, as muscle weakening can lead to illness and even death.
The research team is now testing whether combining Metformin with an amino acid called leucine could make recovery even quicker. They have already seen promising results from animal studies.
“Metformin is cheap, effective and quite safe,” adds Drummond, “so it’s exciting to see that we can use it to accelerate recovery for older individuals.”
If you care about diabetes, please read studies that pomace olive oil could help lower blood cholesterol, and honey could help control blood sugar.
For more information about health, please see recent studies that blueberries strongly benefit people with metabolic syndrome, and results showing widely used diabetes drug metformin may reduce cognitive decline.
The study was published in Aging Cell.
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