Metformin has exercise-like effect in prostate cancer patients, study finds

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By Olivia Bowthorpe

A common diabetes drug may help prostate cancer patients gain some of the benefits of exercise without taking part in physical activity, according to a small study.

The research suggests that metformin, one of the most widely prescribed drugs for type 2 diabetes, can increase levels of a molecule called N-lactoyl-phenylalanine (Lac-Phe), linked to energy balance and weight control.

Patients taking metformin had significantly higher Lac-Phe levels, similar to those seen after strenuous exercise.

This effect occurred regardless of whether patients were physically active, and persisted during hormone therapy.

Those on metformin also had improved weight management following anti-androgen therapy compared to those not taking it.

Dr Marijo Bilusic, genitourinary medical oncologist at the University of Miami, tested blood samples of 12 prostate cancer patients. He found that those who took metformin had increases in Lac-Phe “similar to those observed in ultramarathoners."

Dr Bilusic said that up to 50% of healthy middle-aged men are either obese or have some metabolic dysfunction.