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MyHealthNewsDaily
The diabetes drug metformin may spur the growth of new brain cells, which could have benefits for Alzheimer's patients, a new Canadian study on mice suggests.
The study showed that metformin caused brain cells to divide, producing new cells.
The diabetes medication was intended to target a specific pathway in liver cells. In the new study, researchers found that the drug activated that same pathway in brain cells, prompting new cell growth, said study researcher Freda Miller, a stem cell biologist and molecular geneticist at the Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute in Toronto.
The new cells that are produced could help to repair the effects of neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Miller told MyHealthNewsDaily. The concept that new cell growth could repair the brain is also driving research into neural stem cells, she added.
The research on metformin's effects on the brain is still in early stages, and the findings have yet to be shown in people.
Still, the researchers found that new brain cells grew in both living mice and in human brain cell cultures growing in lab dishes. They are now working to set up clinical trials, Miller said.
The researchers decided to test metformin's effects on brain cells after it was found that the pathway targeted by the drug in liver cells was also operating in brain cells.
A 2008 study found that patients with both diabetes and Alzheimer’s who began taking metformin experienced improvements in their Alzheimer's symptoms after starting on the drug. It was thought that treating the patients' diabetes had effects on the body that helped improve their Alzheimer’s, but the new study suggests the change in brain function was due to the drug itself, the researchers said.
Metformin is currently approved to treat Type 2 diabetes, along with diet and exercise. Studies have suggested the drug has other effects on the body, such as reducing the risk of certain cancers, such as breast cancer or prostate cancer, and regulating metabolism. Experiments with the drug in mice have suggested that it could delay the onset of Huntington's disease, another brain disorder.
In people with diabetes, the drug has been shown to be very safe, with few side effects.
The study, published today (July 5) in the journal Cell Stem Cell, was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Canadian Stem Cell Network and from the Three To Be Foundation, a charity that supports research on neurological disorders.
More from MyHealthNewsDaily:
7 Ways to Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease
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Excellent. My mom had early-onset Alzheimer's so this may be good news for me.
Yeah!!! Me too, I've been taking Metformin for my diabetes for years. Reducing risks of breast and prostate cancer is a big plus too.
Very hopeful news. My father died of Alzheimer's in 2010, and as I take after him very strongly in body type I've been worried about developing the disease myself. Will be watching developments closely!
This has more practical application in my lifetime than the discovery of Higgs Boson.
Metformin places much stress on the kidneys. I've been taking it for 7.5 years and since my kidney function has decreased precipitously, I no longer take it. For every plus there seems to be a minus or two, unfortunately.
I am a diabetic on insulin and taking metformin but my insurance company has the reason I taking Metformin is for High Blood Pressure which I have never had. Is there a reason for this?
bobbski,
I am sorry to hear of your kidney problem but it is an uncommon side effect of metformin and is usually a result of preexisting kidney disease. It in fact can also help kidney disease by limiting protein production depending upon the specifics of the kidney problem.
jkh
Why wait to be sick before taking this. It seems like a godsend for anyone.
You don't understand why a non-diabetic can't be prescribed or take a diabetes medication, a drug that is designed to lower your blood glucose level, glucose which is the fundamental energy source for every cell in your body including your brain & whose level if dropped too low causes a very quick death????
Does this study suggest that diabetics taking metformin may have some protection from Alzheimer's?
That's good news. All I've heard before, was I was opened to anything being I'm a diabetic II. Plus that being obese cause it, and here I am never over weight my entire life and now at 72.
This is very hopeful news. Nothing is worse than a diagnosis of Alzheimer's. Even with pancreatic cancer you have a microscopic chance of beating it. With Alzheimer's you stand no chance at all of avoiding a long, lingering, debilitating death.
The article says "may spur the growth of new cells" and "research on metformin's effects on the brain is still in early stages, and the findings have yet to be shown in people".
Translation, OMG! my federal research grant money is running out! I need to come up with a BS story real quick and get some more grant money, but make sure I don't come out with a cure. A cure is a money loser.
Looks like we also need to find a cure for abject cynicism.
As opposed to what, never researching it? Abandoning any promising line of investigation because it didn't pan out immediately? That would cost even more considering how expensive Alzheimer's is to manage during the 8 or so years until death.
Man, does this sound promising! My dad died of Alzheimer's. It was so extremely sad to see him fade away to the point where he did not know me or my name let alone his own name. It is an awful way for anyone to die. I pray from the bottom of my heart that this medicine will work out and that other researchers will continue to look for and find a cure. This disease will reach epidemic proportions and has to be stopped!
Hell, I'm gonna get me some.
LOL..I take 2000 mg of metformin a day...Does that mean I have a chance of becoming a genius?
I hope they get it done before all of us baby boomers start getting Alzheimer's.
Maybe I should get them to up my dosage.
I suppose this may be good news, but don't buy the "few side effects" line, not unless you enjoy having the trots every day of your life.
In my experience metformin is a very good cure for constipation!
I have used it for 13 years with virtually no side effects. Hopefully it may replace some of the grey cells I killed in the 70s and 80s.
Great news for both Diabetics and Alzheimer's patients:)
I fear Metformin is becoming a cure all drug. You know, the one that is cheap to make and makes the pharmaceutical companies billions. It's probably the one that is going to cause more suffering in the long run from its side effects most of which are still unknown. I've been taking it for 3 years now and am having some trouble with my immune system, in the form of a dermatitis (will find out name of it next Thursday when I see a specialist) As I mentioned in an earlier post my insurance company has Metformin listed as medication for my high blood pressure, which I don't and have never had.
While in this case this is very good news, it is exactly this that scares me about poorly design medical research studies.
This drug was approved and given to millions. Then, later, they come to find out that, hey it effects the brain!
I really think they should have been aware of this effect PRIOR to it being approved and sold in mass quantities. The narrow focus of only looking at the systems they are trying to impact, not dong a complete study on every system with every new drug makes this a modern game of Russian rolette.
Confussed,
I have no idea why a doctor would prescribe metformin ( Glucophage) as a blood pressure medication. Initially a non controlled study indicated it might have a positive effect on hypertension but further studies have never gotten the same result. All side effect and drug info is literally at your fingertips using any search engine.
jkh
This is the most important work, I have ever completed. Please help
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Removed Dup
Wow a new use for a drug,let's get a patent extension,sounds like money sharks ciculating. Sounds like too simple an explanation to fix Alzheimers. It is a proccess that has to start early to protect the brain by using nutrients and anti-oxidants like omega-3 and curcumin and the like.
To the cynics- do some research, you will find that there is already research about this and nerve regeneration. There is also some cybernetic-bio research most of it is in the UK. If nerves can regenerate, why not brain cells? Metformin for BP? sounds like a coding error contact your doctor. Oh and just for the record good research is not found on wiki or wikipedia, but if it is reported there, look for the verification in medical research journals. Many are available online.
What if, just maybe, we could reverse the diabetes trend once and for all? New evidence points to Alzheimer's being classifed as "Type 3" diabetes. I find the following intelligent post very fascinating:
glucose which is the fundamental energy source for every cell in your body including your brain & whose level if dropped too low causes a very quick death????
The other side of the coin is that fact that a MAJORITY of our population is walking around with elevated glucose. By 2020 estimates show that MOST Americans will be prediabetic or diabetic. I hope that the research that comes about due to the research on this drug treatment will prove or disprove the link between Alzheimer's and diabetes/prediabetes. It is truly sad that we have such a sickly population, one that slips into Alzheimer's as the final exit. I saw my grandmother develop it, though since she was 88 at the onset and lived to be 94, it didn't seem quite so cruel as the early cases. Interestingly, due to emphysema, her Alzheimers went full throttle when her doctor took her cigarettes off of her. We should have fought him and let her die happy. But hindsight is always 20/20, right?
It is an interesting concept but I can't see the possible link with Metformin and prion protein disease. I will look into it further.
kind regards peter geekie
Further study needed means "How can we re-invent this stuff so we can charge $50.00 a pill for it?"
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My father develop alzheimers after taking metformin for years for diabetes. One of the contributing factors to his death was kidney failure. His results seem to be contradictory from the study.