Efficacy of Metformin in Weight Management and Glycemic Control in Type 2 Diabetes: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Rubela Ray
Bankura Sammilani Medical College, Bankura, India.
Ahtisham UL Haq
Quaid e Azam Medical College, Bahawalpur, Pakistan.
Raheel Chaudhry
Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA.
Sahithi Burra
Osmania Medical College, Hyderabad, India.
Abida Batool
Dow International Medical College, Karachi, Pakistan.
Mohd Diya Masmoum
Alfaisal University Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Imdad Ullah *
Khyber Medical College, Peshawar, Pakistan.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Introduction: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic condition where obesity plays a key role. Metformin is commonly used to manage T2DM, with benefits in both glycemic control and weight management. This systematic review and meta-analysis update the evidence on metformin’s impact on weight loss and glycemic control in T2DM patients.
Objective: To assess metformin’s efficacy in reducing body weight and improving glycemic control in T2DM patients by synthesizing recent studies.
Methods: Following PRISMA guidelines, relevant studies were identified in PubMed, EMBASE, and clinicaltrials.gov. Fourteen randomized controlled trials and cohort studies, involving 11,686 T2DM patients, were analyzed using RevMan 5.4 software.
Results: Metformin led to a modest but significant reduction in body weight (Mean difference = 0.16; 95% CI: 0.69 to 1.02, p<0.00001) and significantly lowered glycosylated hemoglobin (A1C) and fasting plasma glucose (FPG) levels. Despite some study heterogeneity, the risk of bias was minimal.
Conclusions: Metformin is effective in modest weight reduction and significant glycemic control in T2DM patients, supporting its use as first-line therapy, especially for those who are overweight or obese.
Keywords: Type 2 diabetes, metformin, weight loss, glycemic control, systematic review