• Question: What effect do diabetes drugs, such as metformin, have on your heart?

    Asked by 798rgah44 to Marta on 7 Mar 2017.
    • Photo: Marta Varela

      Marta Varela answered on 7 Mar 2017:


      Hi!

      I don’t really know, it’s not a drug I have come across during my work.

      Looking at it on the scientific literature, it seems like their a complicated relationship brtween metformin and the heart. Some doctors are worried and do not prescribe metmorfin to people with heart problems called heart failure (http://search.proquest.com/openview/7526b80190e732c8d1e6ad5ef96b8a3b/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=2040978). Other studies have found that metmorfin may actually help people with diabetes type 2 keep their hearts healthy (http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/28/10/2585)!

      I would say that you should ask this question to someone who has studied diabetes drugs in great detail, like a specialist doctor or pharmacist. In science, when you don’t know something, you don’t want to just guess because that could lead to problems. You need to find the best information and in the case, I would say that would be asking someone who knows a lot about this drug.

      I am happy to try to ask some of my colleagues for more information if you are interested!

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