fingers crossed for metformin use against cancer

You know the old adage,  “a pound of prevention is worth an ounce of cure”.  Prevention is always better than cure. Guided by this mantra, research in the field of liver diseases has widened its scope to include methods of preventative health care.  This research includes studies on metformin, a drug used to treat diabetes.  It seems metformin may be effective in the prevention of liver diseases as well.

Metformin helps people living with diabetes manage their blood sugar levels. It is commonly prescribed to patients with Type II diabetes, and is sometimes used in conjunction with insulin. Since it affects the glucose levels, patients may experience some minor side effects including weakness, nausea, headache and diarrhea.

Researchers at the University of Maryland believe that metformin could serve as a potent preventive drug for people who are at high risk of developing liver cancer. These primarily include people with hepatitis, diabetes, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Metformin was observed to increase enzyme activities that inhibit the development of tumors.

Several studies link metformin with reducing liver cancer risks, but this study is the first to test the effect of metformin on actual liver tumor.

The liver is responsible for processing nutrients from our food and breaking down the toxins in the body. It converts glucose, from foods we eat such as grains, dairy, sugars, fruits and vegetables, into fatty acids. This process, called lipogenesis, increases in people with diabetes and liver diseases. What metformin does is reduce the body’s glucose level; it suppresses the production of fatty acids, thereby preventing the development of tumor.

The study is also looking into the effect of metformin on other types of cancers.  such as lung, pancreatic, prostate and melanoma.  With the use of metformin in the fight against cancer, the door to affordable  and accessible cancer prevention may have just been opened.