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Metformin inhibits goitrogenous effects of type 2 diabetes

Till Ittermann1, Marcello R P Markus, Sabine Schipf

  • 1Institute for Community Medicine, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany. till.ittermann@uni-greifswald.de

European Journal of Endocrinology
|April 11, 2013
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

Metformin, a type 2 diabetes medication, may reduce thyroid goiter risk. This study found metformin use was associated with smaller thyroid volume and less goiter in people with type 2 diabetes.

Area of Science:

  • Endocrinology
  • Metabolic Diseases
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Limited data exist on the association between type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and thyroid volume.
  • Experimental studies suggest metformin inhibits human thyroid cell growth.
  • Human studies investigating metformin's effect on T2DM and thyroid volume are lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the potentially modulating effects of metformin on the association between T2DM and thyroid volume in a population-based cohort.
  • To examine the relationship between T2DM, metformin use, and thyroid volume and goiter prevalence and incidence.

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses were conducted using data from the Study of Health in Pomerania.
  • 2570 individuals were included in cross-sectional analyses, and 1088 in longitudinal analyses.
  • T2DM was defined by physician diagnosis or antidiabetic medication use.

Main Results:

  • In cross-sectional data, females with T2DM on non-metformin medication had larger thyroid volume and higher odds of goiter.
  • T2DM was not associated with thyroid volume or goiter in individuals treated with metformin.
  • Longitudinal analyses showed incident T2DM not treated with metformin increased the risk of incident goiter.

Conclusions:

  • Metformin demonstrates an inhibitory effect on both prevalent and incident goiter.
  • The anti-goitrogenous effects of metformin contribute to the overall benefits of metformin in T2DM management.

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