Recently, researchers from Cardiff University in the United Kingdom published a research paper in the latest issue of Diabetes Research Journal "Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism", claiming that long-term use of an anti-diabetic drug called metformin can significantly extend the lifespan of patients with type 2 diabetes. It is possible to live longer than non-diabetic patients, and the drug is also beneficial to the health of non-diabetic patients.
In this large-scale study involving 180,000 people, researchers studied the survival of type II diabetic patients taking metformin and sulfonylurea (an oral drug for treating diabetes), and the life expectancy of these patients The situation is compared with matched non-diabetic patients, and the comparison population has the same standards in indicators such as age, gender, smoking, and other clinical status. The results found that compared with non-diabetic patients in the same group, the quality of life of diabetic patients taking metformin was significantly improved, and their life expectancy was even higher than the former; while the quality of life of individuals taking sulfonylurea was reduced. Its life expectancy is also lower than that of non-diabetic patients in the same group.
Researchers said that metformin, a cheap, broad-spectrum anti-diabetic drug, will not only bring benefits to patients with type II diabetes, but also bring beneficial effects to patients with type II diabetes and even non-diabetic patients. Professor Craig Curry, who led the study at Cardiff University, said: “Metformin has anti-cancer effects and can also help people resist cardiovascular disease. This drug can also reduce the incidence of diabetes in high-risk groups. Its risk reduction effect can reach one-third." He emphasized that the results of this study do not mean that patients with type II diabetes who take the drug can sit back and relax. Their condition will still develop and require more active treatment. . On average, the life expectancy of people with diabetes will be reduced by about 8 years, and the best way to prolong life is to maintain a healthy lifestyle, take proper exercise, and avoid obesity.
Metformin is a blood sugar lowering drug. Effective control of blood sugar is very important to reduce the occurrence of microvascular complications in diabetic patients, such as stroke and coronary artery disease. In the initial stage, patients can achieve the goal of hypoglycemic through diet and exercise, but for most patients with disease, taking hypoglycemic drugs is a must. At present, the guidelines of the American Diabetes Association and the European Diabetes Research Association both recommend metformin as the first-line treatment for type II diabetes, and the National Institute of Health and Care in the United Kingdom also recommends this drug.