This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
In type 2 diabetes, 6-month regimen of metformin improved body composition
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
In adult patients recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, a 6-month regimen of metformin appears to have positive effects on body composition, insulin sensitivity and glucose homeostasis, according to recent findings.
In the prospective, non-interventional, observational study, researchers evaluated 51 patients (mean age, 52.67 years) recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and started on a metformin regimen. The regimen consisted of 1000 mg metformin, twice daily for 6 months. The researchers evaluated changes in body composition, insulin resistance, insulin sensitivity and metabolic control induced by metformin.
Researchers measured the participants’ weight, height, BMI, abdominal and hip circumferences, and waist to hip ratio. Body composition was evaluated using Hologic whole body DEXA systems (Hologic, Waltham, Mass).Total body scans were conducted at baseline and at the end of the study, 24 weeks after initiation of metformin therapy.
Diagnoses of sarcopenia were made by comparing three methods of identification. The first, by Baumgartners and associates, calculated the ratio of appendicular skeletal muscle and height squared (ASM/h2); the second categorized patients as Class I or Class II sarcopenia based on skeletal muscle index compared to the sex-specific mean; and the third method classified sarcopenia based on linear regression models using height and fat mass (FM) to predict ASM. Researchers estimated insulin sensitivity using homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance and the Quantitative Insulin Sensitivity Check Index methods. Participants self-reported their physical activity levels by completing the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Forty-one participants remained in the study to its completion.
Researchers found that a significant decrease in total fat mass was attributable to metformin treatment (-1.6 Kg; P=.000). By the end of the 24-week study, the participants demonstrated an increased lean-to-fat ratio (P=.04), with these changes especially noticeable in men. The researchers identified sarcopenia in 20% of the female patients, suggesting that type 2 diabetes may be a key risk factor for sarcopenia in women.
The researchers observed a significant improvement in glucose homeostasis and insulin sensitivity with metformin treatment.
“The results showed significant changes in body composition, insulin sensitivity and glucose
homeostasis after 24 weeks of treatment with metformin,” the researchers wrote. “The level of physical activity remained unchanged, suggesting that the alterations happened in body composition of the participants were mainly due to the effect of the treatment.”
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant disclosures.
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts