{"id":280570,"date":"2025-11-13T14:48:14","date_gmt":"2025-11-13T14:48:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/280570\/"},"modified":"2025-11-13T14:48:14","modified_gmt":"2025-11-13T14:48:14","slug":"why-metformin-may-weaken-the-benefits-of-exercise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/280570\/","title":{"rendered":"Why metformin may weaken the benefits of exercise"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"personShare on Pinterest<\/a>Metformin may weaken the benefits of exercise, a new study suggests. Image credit: huzu1959\/Getty ImagesAbout one in every nine adults worldwide has diabetes, and 90% of those cases are type 2 diabetes. People can manage type 2 diabetes through healthy lifestyle choices, such as being physically active, and medications. Metformin is considered the first-line treatment for type 2 diabetes.A new study says metformin might weaken the important improvements to blood vessel function and blood sugar control that normally comes with regular exercise. <\/p>\n

There is currently no cure for type 2 diabetes. However, people can manage the condition through healthy lifestyle choices<\/a>, such as staying physically active, and through medication<\/a>. <\/p>\n

One such medication is metformin<\/a>, which has long been considered to be a first-line treatment<\/a> for type 2 diabetes, and has been used for decades since it was approved<\/a> by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1994. <\/p>\n

While both metformin and exercise offer health benefits for those with type 2 diabetes, such as increased insulin sensitivity<\/a>, Steven Malin<\/a>, PhD, professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Health in the School of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, said it is not clear that these therapeutic approaches work well together. <\/p>\n

\u201cMetformin is the most widely used glucose-lowering medication used around the world,\u201d Malin explained to Medical News Today. \u201cUnderstanding the effects of it with exercise are important since medical doctors advise people to take metformin and exercise.\u201d <\/p>\n

Study participants were divided into four different groups. Two of the groups participated in high-intensity exercise<\/a> while taking metformin or a placebo, while the other two groups participated in low-intensity exercise<\/a> while taking metformin or a placebo, and were tracked for 16 weeks.<\/p>\n

\u201cAbout 25 years ago now, the U.S. Diabetes Prevention Program<\/a> showcased that lifestyle (7% weight loss via diet and exercise) was superior to metformin in reducing the progression from prediabetes<\/a> to type 2 diabetes,\u201d Malin said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe difference in prevention effects prompted thoughts that maybe adding them together would produce better effects. The thinking was [that] the difference in effectiveness could be based on mechanisms of action and if combined we could get better results,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

\u201cPreviously we showed this was not the case when considering how effective insulin<\/a> was at clearing sugar into cells for energy metabolism. From that work, we also noted blood pressure [did] not improve as much when people took metformin and exercise. Thus we wondered, could a low-intensity exercise program work differently with metformin than the high-intensity program we had originally provided?\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cAlso, we wondered with the insulin effects and blood pressure effects, could insulin act on blood vessels differently when metformin got combined with low or high intensity exercise,\u201d Malin told us. \u201cOur thinking was that blood vessel function is critical for the delivery of oxygen, hormones<\/a>, and nutrients to tissues like muscle for energy metabolism.\u201d <\/p>\n

At the study\u2019s conclusion, the researchers found that, while exercise alone improved vascular insulin sensitivity, when metformin was added these improvements diminished.<\/p>\n

\u201cImproved blood vessel function is key for delivering nutrients to tissues, like sugar or glucose,\u201d Malin explained. \u201cIf the sugar cannot be delivered to the tissue this might explain why muscles cannot use the sugar for energy as well in response to insulin. Daily, when we eat meals, insulin is typically increased to do that very job \u2014 clear glucose into tissues for energy metabolism or storage for later energy use.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cIf there are problems with sugar delivery, this could impact how the body handles blood sugar,\u201d he continued. \u201cPoor vessel health is related to high blood sugars and progression to type 2 diabetes. Lastly, poor vessel function is related to hypertension<\/a>. This is problematic and can promote heart disease and other vascular disease issues.\u201d <\/p>\n

Additionally, the scientists discovered that study participants taking metformin also experienced lower gains in aerobic fitness and reduced positive effects on inflammation and fasting glucose<\/a> after exercising.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople who [are] overweight\/obese often have increased inflammation,\u201d Malin said. \u201cThis inflammation is tied to poor blood vessel function and reduced ability of insulin to clear sugar into bodily cells.\u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cIdeally, we do not want inflammation to be constantly elevated as it is seen usually in people with excess weight. Here, the preservation of inflammation suggests this factor may help contribute to poor vascular insulin sensitivity and issues with blood glucose control,\u201d he explained. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe blunted fitness is clinically relevant, too,\u201d the researcher continued. \u201cLow fitness is associated with frailty and decreased quality of life. Over time, low fitness is also associated with increased risk for all cause mortality and cardiovascular disease. Here, we see that metformin constrains the rise in fitness in people and this is consistent with prior studies.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have seen, too, in past work that people who exercise with metformin indicate working out feels harder,\u201d Malin added. \u201cWe currently are looking to analyze similar outcomes of people from this trial.\u201d <\/p>\n

MNT had the opportunity to speak with David Cutler<\/a>, MD, a board-certified family medicine physician at Providence Saint John\u2019s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA, about this study.<\/p>\n

Cutler, who was not involved in the research, commented that a study casting a negative light on a medication that is generally considered safe, effective, and cheap needs to be looked at with careful scrutiny. <\/p>\n

The study \u201csuggests that metformin may limit some [of] the metabolic and fitness benefits of exercise,\u201c which \u201cmay seem discouraging but needs to be placed in context,\u201c Cutler told us. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe small decline in vascular insulin sensitivity needs to be weighed against the great benefit from lowered blood sugar levels achieved with metformin,\u201c he emphasized. \u201cThe lowering of blood sugar results in lower risks of all diabetic complications like heart attack<\/a>, stroke<\/a>, kidney failure<\/a>, blindness<\/a>, and amputation<\/a>.\u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is unclear what if any clinical consequences there are from lower vascular insulin sensitivity, although the study suggests slightly lower exercise capacity,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis result should not be impactful to diabetics who rely on metformin, but it may be significant to people who have explored the use of metformin for other reasons,\u201d Cutler continued.<\/p>\n

\u201cWithout FDA approval or general scientific consensus, metformin has been touted for supposed benefits in cancer prevention<\/a>, anti-aging [and] longevity<\/a> [potential], and preventing cognitive decline<\/a>. These unproven benefits may not justify use of the drug if there is risk of decreased exercise capacity,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cFurther studies will need to be done on non-diabetics to explore the relative benefits and risks of metformin,\u201d Cutler added. \u201cBut for now, metformin should remain the first line medication for treating type 2 diabetes.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Share on PinterestMetformin may weaken the benefits of exercise, a new study suggests. Image credit: huzu1959\/Getty ImagesAbout one…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":280571,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[49,48,407,84,23769,3379],"class_list":{"0":"post-280570","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fitness","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-fitness","11":"tag-health","12":"tag-metformin","13":"tag-type-2-diabetes"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/280570","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=280570"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/280570\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/280571"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=280570"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=280570"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=280570"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}