Complementary Medicine Practitioners See Great Results with Metformin

Metformin is the most widely prescribed anti-diabetes drug in the world. Practitioners of complementary medicine have recently begun to prescribe this medicine to non-diabetics because of its powerful anti-cancer activity and potential for antiaging purposes.
Cardiovascular disease. Metformin is the only drug used to treat type 2 diabetes that also reduces the number of deaths caused by heart attack. Metformin lowers LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and triglycerides (blood fats) and does not cause weight gain.¹ Fasting blood glucose levels greater than 85 are associated with a 40% increase in relative risk of cardiovascular death. Since 85% of healthy adults have fasting blood glucose levels greater than 85, the use of metformin in nondiabetic adults might result in a significant reduction in cardiovascular disease, the number one cause of death in the United States.

Cancer prevention and treatment. Metformin may have use in both the prevention and treatment of cancer. It is known, for instance, that diabetics are at increased risk for several types of cancer including liver, pancreatic, colorectal, endometrial, breast, and renal cancers.

In a study of 973 patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma at MD Anderson Cancer Center, metformin was shown to lower pancreatic cancer risk 62%.²

The Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) followed 68,019 postmenopausal women over nearly 12 years. Breast cancer in women who developed diabetes and were treated with metformin was 25% lower than non-diabetics.³

Longevity. Mice given metformin in their drinking water had an increase in mean life span of 37.8%.⁴

Dosage
For antiaging and anti-cancer purposes, dosage may vary between 250 mg to 850 mg twice a day with meals.⁵ Physician supervision is advised as results may vary from one individual to another. Please contact us to discuss whether metformin might be right for you.

1. Ripsin CM, Kang H, Urban RJ. Management of blood glucose in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Am Fam Physician. 2009 Jan;79 (1):29–36.
2. Li D, Yeung SC, Hassan MM, Konopleva M, Abbruzzese JL. Antidiabetic therapies affect risk of pancreatic cancer. Gastroenterology 2009 Aug;137(2):482-8.
3. Chlebowski RT, McTiernan A, Wactawski-Wende J, Manson JE, Aragaki AK, Rohan T. Diabetes, Metformin, and Breast Cancer in Postmenopausal Women. Clin Oncol. 2012 Jun 11.[Epub ahead of print]
4. Anisimov VN, Bernstein LM, Egormin PA et al. Metformin slows down aging and extends life span of female SHR mice. Cell Cycle. 2008 Sep 1; 7(17):2769-73.
5. http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2010/nov2010_The-Drug-Virtually-Everyone-Should-Ask-their-Doctor-About_02.htm