Metformin (Glucophage) is a medication used in treating diabetes for the past 50 years. It has a great track record of safety and is very inexpensive.
It has always been recognized as a ‘first line’ therapy, as it reduces the body’s insulin levels and helps in losing weight.
If that weren’t enough, recent studies have suggested that it also reduces the risk of various cancers, again, by reducing insulin levels.
This cancer reduction was recently confirmed in a large study from Holland, which included 85,000 diabetic patients.
This is great news and makes me even more of a supporter of the use of Metformin in a majority of diabetic patients, as opposed to using more expensive, and newer medications such as ACTOS or JANUVIA.
Often, Metformin needs to be used in combination with other diabetic treatments, but I will continue to focus on Metformin as the lynphin in oral treatment for Type 2 Diabetes.