Metformin is a medicine that has been used for many years to help people control high blood sugar caused by type 2 diabetes.
Doctors often prescribe it as one of the first treatments because it is effective, affordable, and generally safe for long-term use. Millions of people around the world rely on this medication every day to keep their blood sugar at a healthy level.
What many people did not know until recently is that this very common drug may also play an important role in keeping muscles strong as people grow older.
Scientists from the University of Utah Health discovered that metformin does more than just manage blood sugar. Their research suggests that it may help protect muscle tissue, especially in older adults. This is an important finding because muscle weakness is a serious problem for aging populations.
As people get older, they tend to lose muscle mass and strength. This process, known as age-related muscle loss, can make everyday tasks harder. It increases the risk of falls, slows down recovery from illness or injury, and can reduce independence and quality of life.
To understand how metformin might help muscles, the researchers looked deep inside the body at a special type of cell called a senescent cell. Some scientists also call them “zombie” cells because they are not fully alive or fully dead. These cells no longer divide like healthy cells, but they do not disappear either.
Instead, they stay in the body and release harmful substances that can cause inflammation. Inflammation can damage surrounding tissue over time. In muscles, this can lead to hardening, scarring, and weakness.
In young people, these senescent cells can be useful for short periods. For example, when a person is injured, the body sends these cells to help with healing. Once the job is done, the body normally clears them away.
However, as people age, the body becomes less efficient at removing these cells. They start to build up in tissues, including muscle. This build-up makes it harder for muscles to repair themselves and grow back strong after injury or illness.
Metformin appears to help control these troublesome cells. The research team found that people who took metformin had fewer senescent cells in their muscle tissue.
With fewer “zombie” cells causing damage, the muscle stayed healthier and stronger. This created an exciting possibility that metformin could be used to help older people keep their muscle strength and recover faster from health problems.
To test their idea, the researchers conducted a study with 20 healthy older adults. Before the experiment began, every participant had a muscle biopsy and an MRI scan so the scientists could carefully measure the condition of their muscles.
After that, the participants were split into two groups. One group took metformin, while the other group took a placebo, which is a pill with no real medicine in it. This helped the scientists compare the effects in a fair and scientific way.
Both groups then spent five days on complete bed rest. This might not sound serious, but even a short period of bed rest can cause muscles to weaken, especially in older people.
After the bed rest period, the participants had another biopsy and MRI scan so the researchers could see how their muscles had changed. Then, the participants went back to their normal daily activities for seven days. After this recovery period, they had one final muscle biopsy.
The results were very promising. The people who took metformin lost less muscle strength during bed rest. Their muscles also showed less scarring and hardening during the recovery period.
When the scientists looked closely at their muscle tissue, they also found fewer senescent cells. This provided strong evidence that metformin was actively helping to protect the muscles and support a healthier recovery.
Jonathan Petrocelli, one of the main researchers, explained that this was the first study to clearly show that metformin could improve muscle recovery in older adults. This opens up a new way of thinking about how we treat age-related muscle weakness.
Instead of focusing only on exercise or physical therapy, doctors may one day use medication like metformin as an added tool to support muscle health.
The research team is now looking at ways to improve the effect even more. They are studying whether combining metformin with a natural substance called leucine, which is found in protein-rich foods, could help muscles recover even faster. Early studies in animals suggest that this combination could be very powerful.
In reviewing this study, the findings appear both exciting and realistic. Metformin is already widely used, low in cost, and familiar to doctors. This makes it much easier to test and apply in real-life medical care compared to new and untested drugs.
However, the study was small, with only 20 participants, so larger studies are still needed to confirm the results. If future research supports these findings, metformin could become an important part of helping older adults stay mobile, independent, and healthier for longer.
The idea that a simple, well-known diabetes drug could also protect muscles gives new hope for improving the lives of aging populations around the world.
If you care about muscle, please read studies about factors that can cause muscle weakness in older people, and scientists find a way to reverse high blood sugar and muscle loss.
For more health information, please see recent studies about an easy, cheap way to maintain muscles, and results showing these vegetables essential for your muscle strength.
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