Metformin should be the first line of defense to ward off type two diabetes if diet and exercise fail to pay off, HealthDay News reports. According to experts at the American College of Physicians (ACP), metformin is the preferred drug of doctors due to its effectiveness, low cost and low risk of side effects.
“Most diabetes medications do lower [blood sugar], but metformin is more effective with fewer side effects. And, the cost is less,” said Amir Qaseem, lead author if the ACP’s new guidelines for treating diabetes.
Qaseem stressed that the answer to diabetes shouldn’t automatically include prescription drugs, however. Trying to control blood sugar levels should begin at a personal level, with basic controls on weight and physicality.
“Diet, exercise and weight loss are so important in controlling type two diabetes,” he said. “You can’t just give pharmaceutical agents and not have lifestyle changes.”
After doctors determine that pharmaceutical agents are necessary, however, they should first look at metformin as a possible treatment. If metformin alone doesn’t work, it may be combined with other blood-sugar lowering medications.
The new guidelines stem from research done by the ACP into each of the 11 different classes of medication currently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Drugs were reviewed for their safety as well as their ability to lower blood sugar, cholesterol and weight. After these trials were concluded, metformin emerged as the most effective drug in lowering long-term blood sugar levels.
Metformin was also proven to be the most effective when it came to lowering levels of bad cholesterol, HealthDay said. The drug also performed well in preventing heart disease and death.
