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Metformin positively affected glucose homeostasis
Glucose homeostasis during exercise is positively affected by metformin, according to recent study findings published in Diabetes Care.
“We also observed impaired muscle contraction-mediated glucose uptake in type 2 diabetic patients,” the researchers wrote.
Merethe Hansen, MD, of the department of biomedical sciences at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, and colleagues evaluated participants with type 2 diabetes who were on metformin treatment (n=11) or who were not taking metformin (n=11) compared with healthy controls (n=10) to determine the role of metformin on glucose levels during exercise.
Participants with type 2 diabetes had higher baseline plasma glucose concentrations compared with controls; the concentrations remained higher during exercise. There was no difference in absolute glucose concentrations between the two diabetes groups (P>.05). Participants with diabetes had lower glucose concentrations during and after exercise compared with controls; however, the effect was smaller among those in the metformin group compared with those without metformin treatment (P=.16). Significant differences were found among all groups for exercise-induced changes in glucose (P<.01).
Members of the control group had a significantly greater increase in glucose rate of appearance compared with the participants with type 2 diabetes (P=.002). Similarly, controls had a greater increase in baseline glucose rate of disappearance compared with the diabetes groups (P<.05).
Members of the metformin group had the same exercise-induced increases in metabolic clearance rates as controls (P=.21) but higher increases than participants not taking metformin (P=.001).
“In summary, we conclude that metformin and exercise can be taken in combination in patients with type 2 diabetes,” the researchers wrote. “[Hepatic glucose production] is not changed during exercise in patients currently treated with metformin, even though the drug is known to inhibit [hepatic glucose production] at rest. However, we found a slight improvement in [metabolic clearance rate] during exercise in patients treated with metformin, indicating that metformin improves peripheral glucose uptake. The baseline improvement of [homeostasis model assessment] insulin resistance indicated that metformin induced an increase in hepatic insulin sensitivity. Furthermore, we demonstrate the muscle contraction-mediated glucose clearance is impaired in patients with type 2 diabetes.”
Disclosure: The study was funded in part by the Aase and Ejnar Danielsens Foundation, the A.P. Møller Foundation, the Nordea Foundation, the Oda and Hans Svenningsens Foundation, the Simon Fougner Harmann Family Foundation and the Torben and Alice Frimodts Foundation.