{"id":365312,"date":"2026-03-26T00:53:14","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T00:53:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/365312\/"},"modified":"2026-03-26T00:53:14","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T00:53:14","slug":"after-60-years-diabetes-drug-revealed-to-unexpectedly-affect-the-brain-sciencealert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/365312\/","title":{"rendered":"After 60 Years, Diabetes Drug Revealed to Unexpectedly Affect The Brain : ScienceAlert"},"content":{"rendered":"

Metformin<\/a> has been prescribed to people with type 2 diabetes<\/a> to manage blood sugar for more than 60 years, but scientists haven’t been exactly sure how it works – until now.<\/p>\n

A recent study suggests it works directly in the brain, which could lead to new types of treatment.<\/p>\n

Researchers from the Baylor College of Medicine in the US identified in 2025 a brain pathway<\/a> that the drug seems to work through, in addition to the effects it has on biological processes in other areas of the body.<\/p>\n

“It’s been widely accepted that metformin lowers blood glucose primarily by reducing glucose output in the liver<\/a>. Other studies<\/a> have found that it acts through the gut,” said<\/a> Makoto Fukuda, a pathophysiologist at Baylor.<\/p>\n

“We looked into the brain as it is widely recognized as a key regulator of whole-body glucose metabolism. We investigated whether and how the brain contributes to the anti-diabetic effects of metformin.”<\/p>\n

Watch the clip below for a summary of their findings;<\/p>\n

\"YouTube frameborder=”0\u2033 allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen=”allowfullscreen”><\/p>\n

Previous work<\/a> by some of the same researchers had identified a protein in the brain called Rap1<\/a> as having an impact on glucose metabolism, particularly in a part of the brain called the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH).<\/p>\n

In their 2025 study, tests on mice showed metformin traveling to the VMH, where it helps tackle type 2 diabetes<\/a> by essentially turning off Rap1.<\/p>\n

When the researchers bred mice without Rap1, metformin then had no impact on a diabetes-like condition<\/a> \u2013 even though other drugs did.<\/p>\n

It’s strong evidence that metformin works in the brain, through a different mechanism than other drugs.<\/p>\n

\"ComputerComputer artwork of the brain showing the hypothalamus (red). (Science Photo Library\/Canva)<\/p>\n

The team was also able to take a close look at the specific neurons metformin was affecting. Further down the line, that could lead to more targeted treatments that take aim at these neurons specifically.<\/p>\n

“We also investigated which cells in the VMH were involved in mediating metformin’s effects,” said<\/a> Fukuda.<\/p>\n

“We found that SF1 neurons are activated when metformin is introduced into the brain, suggesting they’re directly involved in the drug’s action.”<\/p>\n

\"MetforminDirect brain injections of metformin lowered blood glucose in mice. (Lin et al., Sci. Adv., 2025)<\/p>\n

Metformin is long-lasting and relatively affordable. It works by reducing the glucose produced by the liver and increasing how efficiently the body uses insulin, helping to manage the symptoms<\/a> of type 2 diabetes.<\/p>\n

Now we know it very probably works through the brain, as well as the liver and the gut.<\/p>\n

Clearly, this needs to be shown in human studies as well, but once that’s established, we might be able to find ways to boost metformin’s effects and make it more potent.<\/p>\n

\"Subscribe<\/a><\/p>\n

“These findings open the door to developing new diabetes treatments that directly target this pathway in the brain,” Fukuda said<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“In addition, metformin is known for other health benefits, such as slowing brain aging. We plan to investigate whether this same brain Rap1 signaling is responsible for other well-documented effects of the drug on the brain.”<\/p>\n

This also ties into other interesting studies that have found the same drug can slow brain aging<\/a> and improve lifespan<\/a>. With a better understanding of how metformin works, we may see it used for a broader range of purposes in the future.<\/p>\n

Though generally safe compared to other treatments for type 2 diabetes, side effects aren’t uncommon, with gastrointestinal problems such as nausea, diarrhea, and abdominal discomfort affecting up to 75 percent<\/a> of those taking the medication. Other consequences<\/a> can emerge in association with conditions such as kidney impairment, which also put health at risk.<\/p>\n

Metformin is also considered a gerotherapeutic: a drug able to slow down various aging processes in the body. For example, it’s been shown to limit DNA damage<\/a> and promote gene activity<\/a> associated with long life.<\/p>\n

Previous studies have shown that metformin can reduce wear and tear<\/a> in the brain and even reduce the risk of long COVID.<\/p>\n

A 2025 study<\/a> on more than 400 postmenopausal women compared the effects of metformin and a different diabetes drug called sulfonylurea.<\/p>\n

\"ElderlyThe study used age 90 as the marker for ‘exceptional’ longevity. (Danie Franco\/Unsplash<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Those in the metformin group were calculated to have a 30 percent lower risk of dying before the age of 90 than those in the sulfonylurea group, demonstrating the drug’s potential role in reducing the effects of aging.<\/p>\n

Related: A Common Diabetes Drug Is Linked to ‘Exceptional Longevity’ in Women<\/a><\/p>\n

Understanding how the drug affects the human body as a whole could inform specialists’ decisions in prescribing the drug beyond use for diabetes, and potentially help improve its safety even further.<\/p>\n

“This discovery changes how we think about metformin,” said<\/a> Fukuda. “It’s not just working in the liver or the gut, it’s also acting in the brain.”<\/p>\n

“We found that while the liver and intestines need high concentrations of the drug to respond, the brain reacts to much lower levels.”<\/p>\n

The research was published in Science Advances<\/a>.<\/p>\n

An earlier version of this article was published in September 2025.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Metformin has been prescribed to people with type 2 diabetes to manage blood sugar for more than 60…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":365313,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[103,61,60,2209],"class_list":{"0":"post-365312","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-ie","10":"tag-ireland","11":"tag-msft-content"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/365312","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=365312"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/365312\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/365313"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=365312"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=365312"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=365312"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}