Effect of metformin on exercise capacity: A meta-analysis

Area of Science:

• Exercise Physiology
• Pharmacology
• Metabolic Health

Background:

• Metformin is a widely used drug for type 2 diabetes.
• Its effects on exercise capacity are not fully understood.
• Previous studies show mixed results regarding metformin's impact on physiological responses to exercise.

Purpose of the Study:

• To comprehensively evaluate metformin's effects on diverse exercise capacity parameters.
• Key parameters include oxygen consumption (VO2), peak oxygen consumption (VO2peak), heart rate (HR), and ventilatory anaerobic threshold (VAT).

Main Methods:

• Systematic review and meta-analysis of studies reporting changes in VO2 or VO2peak post-metformin.
• Inclusion of data from healthy volunteers and various patient groups.
• Random-effects model used for pooling mean differences and 95% confidence intervals.

Main Results:

• No significant changes in VO2 or VO2peak were observed in the overall population or subgroups.
• A significant decrease in HR and RER was noted, alongside an increase in RPE.
• Patients with insulin resistance showed a decrease in VO2peak, while healthy volunteers had increased VAT.

Conclusions:

• Metformin does not impact VO2, VO2peak, exercise duration, or VAT in the general population.
• Metformin significantly reduces HR and RER, and increases RPE.
• Specific effects may vary in patient subgroups like those with insulin resistance.