Does metformin help you lose weight? It’s a question that science has been formulated on several occasions since verify that diabetic patients on a regimen with this drug also reduce kilograms after months of use.
THE protocols approaches to diabetes propose to indicate metformin to people with impaired glycemia who, in addition, have a body mass index greater than 25, i.e. they are obese. But what if we want to use it only as a slimming therapy?
What is Metformin?
Metformin is a drug used for type 2 diabetes. It has been specially formulated to reduce the sugar absorbed into the intestines from food, thereby helping to keep blood glucose levels in check.
Type 2 diabetes is the form of the disease in which insulin is still circulatingso the patient does not need to inject it, as in type 1. There is a large battery of oral antidiabetic drugs being prescribed to these people, although metformin is the current therapeutic star.
The basic functions in the body are as follows:
- Reduces glucose intake from the intestinal mucosa when eating.
- Stimulates the liver to produce glycogen storing sugar and not releasing it into the bloodstream.
- Accelerates the entry of glucose into muscle tissue improving the insulin sensitivity of insulin receptors muscle.
General guidelines for use are with meals. Doses of 500, 800, 850 or 1000 milligrams are usually given with lunch and dinner. Some commercial presentations are combined with another oral antidiabetic.
Does metformin help you lose weight?
We know the drug is an anti-diabetic, but science has done that too Certain which causes weight loss. So can it be used in this sense? Is it valid to prescribe it to a person without diabetes who wants to lose weight?
The issue is complex. The use of metformin for weight loss is off-label off labelthis means that the practitioner indicates it for a utility not approved by the government associations that regulate drugs.
Prescription is not illegal, although it cannot be said to have sufficient evidence. What is known so far is that the effect is long term, in the context of LTWL. long-term weight loss. These are the treatments that have shown efficacy for weight loss after months or years of use.
THE studies available on metformin indicate that the maximum benefit in body mass indexes is recorded after one year of continuous use. However, consistency is reached about 10 years after initiation.
Side effects that contribute to weight loss
Metformin, like any drug, is not without side effects. During its consumption it is common for gastrointestinal signs to occur While they are not intolerant, they are associated with their effect on the gut.
It has been hypothesized that these reactions contribute to weight loss. Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal inflammation and flatulence are some of the problems that occur. Some diabetic patients reduce their food intake due to this digestive disorder.
On the other hand, the drug is an appetite reducer. The mechanism by which this decrease in the desire to eat occurs is not clear. It could be a hormonal change related to the effect on the distribution of body fat. In any case, in some cases, an increase in hunger was recorded at the beginning of the treatments, in the opposite direction to that expected.
Alternatives to metformin for weight loss
Metformin may not be your first option for losing weight. Its use in weight loss is not approved as an initial indication nor can it be used as the only way to approach a diet plan.
On the contrary, the recommendation is to exhaust the traditional and proven methods of losing weight in advance. Both low-calorie diets and exercise are the logical ways to deal with overweight and obesity.
Like any drug, including diuretics which have made their use popular in nutritional terms, side effects should not be forgotten. One of the more complicated of metformin is the lactic acidosiscapable of endangering life. Therefore, strict medical supervision is required and never self-medicate.
If we are dealing with a diabetic patient with extra kilograms, then the drug will be of choice, since any weight loss will contribute to the improvement of glycemic values. However, the need for a specific diet and exercise also applies.
There is not enough scientific evidence to support the exclusive use of metformin for weight loss.. It would be imprudent for the drug to be prescribed without exhausting the previous instances, especially since it exists information relevant to develop diet and sports plans that help to lose weight.
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