on PinterestThe diabetes drug metformin may provide similar results to exercise in people with prostate cancer.
on PinterestThe diabetes drug metformin may provide similar results to exercise in people with prostate cancer. Image Credit: Brothers91/Getty Images
- A common diabetes drug may mimic one key effect of exercise in those with prostate cancer.
- Researchers found metformin boosts an “exercise molecule” linked to appetite and weight control, even in those unable to stay active.
- While not a substitute for exercise, the drug could help individuals manage treatment-related weight gain and metabolic health.
Regular exercise is associated with a wide range of health benefits, including a reduced risk of cancer.
Physical activity is also important during the treatment of certain cancers, such as prostate cancer, where treatment itself may lead to weight gain or other metabolic dysfunction.
Scientists previously identified an exercise-induced molecule — known as N-lactoyl-phenylalanine (Lac-Phe), a compound released during physical activity — associated with weight loss and decreased appetite, and it appears to be stimulated by metformin, a diabetes drug.
In an exploratory study, researchers found that prostate cancer patients treated with metformin had Lac-Phe levels comparable to those seen after strenuous exercise. The findings were published on April 6 in the journal EMBO Molecular Medicine.
Researchers initially identified Lac-Phe, a molecule produced during exercise, in healthy people and athletes, including ultramarathon runners, and later found elevated levels in people with diabetes treated with metformin.
“Altered metabolism is one of the hallmarks of cancer. So, what would happen with cancer patients treated with metformin?” said first study author Marijo Bilusic, MD, PhD, a genitourinary medical oncologist at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.
“In our study, we were very surprised to see that the level of Lac-Phe in our prostate cancer patients was exactly the same as the level of ultramarathoners. This has never been reported before,” he told Healthline.
While metformin did not predict improved treatment response, such as PSA levels or tumor growth, it was associated with improved weight management, including among patients prescribed anti-androgen therapy, which is linked with weight gain.
S. Adam Ramin, MD, board certified urologist, urologic oncologist, and medical director of Urology Cancer Specialists in Los Angeles, CA, who wasn’t involved in the research, called it “an intriguing preliminary study,” but cautioned that larger studies would be necessary to validate the findings.
Metformin aids weight, metabolic health in prostate cancer
Bilusic and his team analyzed blood samples from men with prostate cancer enrolled in a clinical trial called BIMET-1, along with an additional group of individuals treated at a cancer center.
In the trial, 12 patients with overweight or obesity (but not diabetes) were studied in detail out of 29 originally enrolled in the cohort. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either standard care alone or metformin at a dose of 1,000 mg twice daily, followed by combination treatment with the hormone therapy drug bicalutamide.
To confirm their findings, the researchers also studied an additional 25 individuals with prostate cancer across a range of disease stages, including advanced cancer. Of these, seven were taking metformin. Across both groups, the team measured Lac-Phe levels and compared them before and after treatment.
The researchers found that metformin
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