Metformin:
Metformin may weaken the benefits of exercise, a new study suggests.
- Metformin (1,1-dimethylbiguanide hydrochloride) is an anti-diabetic medication (biguanide).
- It is commonly prescribed to help manage type 2 diabetes.
- Metformin works in a few different ways to help keep your blood glucose (sugar) from getting too high.
- Metformin decreases the amount of glucose your body absorbs from things you eat and drink.
- Metformin reduces the amount of glucose that your liver makes.
- Metformin also helps your body’s own insulin to work better. (Insulin is a hormone that helps your body use glucose as a source of energy.)
- It is the most widely used glucose-lowering medication used around the world.
- Metformin, listed among the World Health Organization’s essential medicines since 2011, is generally safe but may cause mild gastrointestinal upsets, give a metallic taste, or, rarely, may cause lactic acidosis (a buildup of lactic acid in your blood) in kidney-impaired patients.
