Gabe Mirkin, M.D.
Researchers from St. Christopher's Hospital for Children
in Philadelphia recently reported that metformin, a drug used to
treat diabetes, can help obese, non-diabetic teenagers lose
weight (Endocrine Society Annual Meeting, June 2006). Many
previous studies show that short-term use of metformin can help
people lose weight.
Metformin prevents the liver from releasing sugar into the
bloodstream. When taken before eating, it markedly reduces the
rise in blood sugar. A high rise in blood sugar after eating
causes the pancreas to release large amounts of insulin which
acts on the brain to make you hungry, on the liver to make more
fat, and on the fat cells in your belly to fill with fat. This study
shows that metformin along with a low-refined-carbohydrate diet
lowers weight for years. It also lowers high blood sugar and
cholesterol, decreases insulin resistance and helps get rid of
acne in obese teenagers.
September 15, 2006