Diabetes Drug Metformin XR Helps Overweight Teens Lose Weight

According to a study published in the February 2010 issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, metformin XR, a medication prescribed to treat patients with type 2 diabetes, helps adolescents lose weight when used in combination with a program encouraging increased physical activity and controlled diet.

The study examined 77 overweight patients, aged 13 to 18, and provided some participants with a placebo and others with 2,000 mg metformin XR. All study participants also enrolled in a program that increased their activity level and controlled their diet.

Those taking metformin XR demonstrated a reduction in their average body mass index (BMI), a statistical measure comparing weight with height, of 0.9, while those taking a placebo saw a BMI increase of 0.2.

“Metformin was safe and tolerated in this population,” said the authors of the study. “These results indicate that metformin may have an important role in the treatment of adolescent obesity. Longer-term studies will be needed to define the effects of metformin treatment on obesity-related disease risk in this population.”

Type 2 diabetes affects millions of Americans and is the most common form of diabetes. In patients with type 2 diabetes, high levels of glucose (sugar) are present in the blood and the body is resistant to insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar.

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