Patients treated with the drug for type 2 diabetes can live longer than people without the condition of

Patients treated with the drug for type 2 diabetes can live longer than people without the condition of -

Patients treated with a drug widely prescribed for diabetes Type 2 may live longer than people without condition, a large study of more than 180,000 people showed.

The results indicate that the drug known as metformin name, used to control glucose levels in the body and is already known to have anti-cancer properties, could offer prognostic and prophylactic benefits for people without diabetes.

Publication in a newspaper of leading diabetes diabetes, obesity and metabolism by scientists at Cardiff University, the study compared the survival of patients diabetes prescribed with metformin in patients prescribed with another drug against the common diabetes called a sulphonylurea.

Importantly, the life expectancy of these cohorts was also compared against non-diabetics who were matched based on criteria that included age, sex, general practice even, smoking the status and clinical status.

"What we found was enlightening," said the school's senior author Professor Craig Currie of Cardiff University of Medicine.

"Patients treated with metformin had a small but statistically significant improvement in survival compared to the cohort without diabetes, while those treated with sulphonylureas had a survival rate constantly reduced compared to non-diabetic patients. this was true even without any intelligent statistical manipulation.

"Surprisingly, the results indicate that diabetic drug cheap and widely prescribed can have beneficial effects not only on patients with diabetes, but also for those without and, interestingly, people with type 1 diabetes Metformin has been shown to have anti-cancer or anti-cardiovascular disease properties. It can also reduce the chances of developing the disease than a third of pre-diabetics.

"This does not mean that people with type 2 diabetes down Scott free. Their disease will progress and they will usually passed to more aggressive treatments. People are losing on average around eight years from their life expectancy after developing diabetes. the best way to completely avoid the condition is keeping moderately lean and get some regular exercise. "

in the next phase of the research, Professor Currie plans to investigate how patients prescribed with metformin as first-line treatment can be best treated thereafter to ensure that their life expectancy can be approximated in line with the national average.

Type 2 diabetes affects 8% of the population of the United States and 6% of the population of the UK.

effective glycemic control in diabetics is important to reduce the risk of microvascular complications such as stroke or coronary artery disease. the stymying of these conditions can be achieved initially through diet and exercise, but hypoglycemic medication is needed in most patients with diabetes progresses.

Metformin is recommended as first-line treatment for type 2 diabetes in the American Diabetes Association and the current European Association for the Study of the guidelines on diabetes. The National Institute for Excellence and Health Care (NICE) recommends the drug.

The sulphonylureas are commonly prescribed if metformin is considered by practitioners to be an unsuitable course for treatment. Unlike metformin, sulphonylureas can cause weight gain, hypoglycemia and impaired recovery after a heart attack. Conversely, metformin is associated with beneficial effects including improved heart health and an ability to fight against the development of certain cancers.

The data used in the study came from the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink, which represents about 10% of the UK population, where the researchers identified 78.241 patients were prescribed metformin as a treatment frontline and 12.222 patients prescribed a sulphonylurea as first-line treatment. These were then matched against each non-diabetic patient.