Diabetes drug could cut body mass index

A widely prescribed type 2 diabetes drug has the side effect of causing a slight but very important decrease in body mass index (BMI) amongst adolescents who don’t suffer from diabetes .
The reduction in body mass index was reported when study respondents also undertook a lifestyle intervention program. The study was published in the Archives of Pediatrics &Adolescent Medicine, an American journal.
The team randomly assigned some 77 obese study participants to a lifestyle program (which involved exercise and diet ) and either metformin RX or a placebo. The study ran for 48 weeks and the study group were monitored for a further 48 weeks.
The study authors were reported as commenting: ” Metformin XR had a small but statistically significant impact on BMI over the initial 52 weeks of the study. The BMI difference between the groups persisted for 12 to 24 weeks after cessation of study drug. Thereafter, the mean [average] BMI in the metformin group increased toward that in the control group.”