Here’s what we’ll cover in this blog post:
- How Metformin works
- Mechanisms behind weight loss
- Metformin and lac-phe
- Metformin weight loss benefits
Metformin is among the growing list of medications that scientists are finding may extend our lifespan and healthspan. Among its many benefits, Metformin may also assist in weight loss.
But how does Metformin help with weight loss, and how long does it take to see weight loss benefits?
Here, we’ll do a deep dive into the science behind Metformin to help explain why this medication could be key to your weight loss journey.
How Does Metformin Help with Weight Loss?
The short answer is that Metformin lowers the amount of glucose in your blood, which means your body doesn’t have as much excess glucose to store as fat. This mechanism may also reduce appetite.
The long answer? There doesn’t seem to be a solid consensus on how exactly Metformin causes weight loss.
However, weight loss may be a secondary effect of Metformin’s primary mechanism of action. That means Metformin may cause weight loss due to a combination of factors.
How Does Metformin Work?
Metformin works, in part, by reducing how much glucose is produced in the liver. This helps limit the amount of glucose released into the bloodstream, which lowers blood glucose levels, also known as blood sugar levels.
With lower blood sugar, insulin can work more efficiently to absorb glucose from the bloodstream, further reducing blood sugar levels. As our body’s insulin works more efficiently, cells start to respond better to insulin. As a result, we need less insulin to turn glucose into energy, which means less glucose is stored as fat. This is known as insulin sensitivity.
Both glucose management and insulin resistance are vital for weight loss and weight management. Without one, we can’t have the other.
But the opposite is true too: with too much glucose and insulin in our blood, our cells start to become resistant to insulin. All that excess glucose then gets stored as fat, because our cells aren’t as sensitive to insulin as they once were.
Think of it this way: when we’re insulin resistant, our pancreas has to pump out more and more insulin, as if it’s yelling louder and louder for our cells to hear it. The louder the pancreas yells, the more desensitized our cells become to that sound, treating it almost like white noise.
When there’s less sugar in our blood, the pancreas pumps out less insulin, creating less white noise for our cells. With less white noise, our cells become more sensitive to the sound of our pancreas. In other words, the pancreas doesn’t have to yell as loud. This creates a much more efficient response to insulin, meaning the pancreas doesn’t need to pump out as much insulin.
Metformin and AMPK
Metformin activates a master regulator of cellular metabolism known as AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). AMPK is an enzyme that’s activated during exercise and fasting. This enzyme is primarily responsible for balancing energy (think back to glucose), which contributes to fat burning.
By activating AMPK, Metformin influences energy metabolism, which helps us to use energy more efficiently. This influences both appetite regulation and stored adipose tissue (body fat) in our bodies.
In other words, if our bodies use energy more efficiently, we don’t need as much food to keep us going, which means our body has less excess glucose to store as body fat.
AMPK also addresses several hallmarks of aging, which is one of many reasons why experts believe Metformin could have longevity-enhancing effects.
Metformin and Lac-Phe
A recent study from Stanford Medicine found that Metformin may also stimulate the production of an “anti-hunger” hormone known as lac-phe.
If you’ve never heard of lac-phe, you’re not alone: this molecule was only discovered in 2022 by researchers at Stanford Medicine. They found that lac-phe is not only abundant after exercise, but also plays a critical role in metabolism and appetite.
When we exercise, increased amounts of lac-phe flood into our bloodstream, which helps reduce appetite. This same molecule is present after taking Metformin.
Though scientists need more research to better understand the relationship between Metformin and lac-phe, this discovery may help explain why we experience weight loss on Metformin.
What Are the Weight Loss Benefits of Metformin?
Managing our glucose and insulin resistance doesn’t happen overnight. Even then, how much weight you lose while taking Metformin depends largely on what dose you’re taking and how long you stay on the medication.
The typical dose for Metformin is 1,000mg per day, which is normally 2 tablets per day. At this dose, some patients may not notice significant weight loss. However, this dose may keep you from gaining more weight.
Patients taking between 1,500mg and 2,250mg per day have shown more pronounced weight loss. At these doses, patients may lose as much as 3-12lbs, or at least 5% of their body weight, after 6-12 months of use.
Keep in mind, though, that results may vary from patient to patient depending on several factors, including your unique medical history. For example, those with a higher BMI may lose more weight in a shorter time frame, while others may experience the lower ranges of estimated weight loss within 2-3 months.
How Do I Know If Metformin Is Right for Me?
Scientific evidence supports the weight loss benefits of Metformin, but Metformin may not be right for every weight loss journey.
To better understand what results you can expect, consider scheduling a longevity consultation with an AgelessRx expert, who will review your unique medical history to help you better understand what results you can expect.
If you decide that Metformin should be the next addition to your longevity toolkit, get started with a free visit today to see if Metformin is right for you.
Note: The above statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.