The diabetes drug metformin may be effective in helping obese teenagers lose weight when combined with healthy lifestyle changes according to information published by the AMA (American Medical Association) this week.

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The study completed at Sanford University was able to demonstrate that teens who were not diabetic but still obese when given metoformin XR and put in place certain lifestyle changes saw better results than those who just made changes to their lifestyles alone.

The Sanford team said that it was now quite common for non diabetic teenage obesity to be treated using meoformin but suprisingly until now no studies have actually been done to prove it’s effectiveness in treating obesity.

With nearly a third of all children in the U.S. being considered overweight or obese any help is greatfully recieved by the medical profession.

Obesity in childhood is associated with significant health risks, including type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and risk of heart disease as an adult.

Researchers say childhood obesity is treated with healthy lifestyle interventions, including diet and exercise, but studies show the success of these efforts varies greatly. This is also the case with most adult treatment programs for obesity.

The results of the research carried out showed that the BMI of teens who received metformin in addition to lifestyle changes decreased 0.9 after 48 weeks’ study, compared to a 0.2 increase in the placebo group.

The really good news is …

Researchers say the BMI difference between the two groups persisted for up to six months after they stopped taking the drug.

So I for one will be looking for more on the use of metofirm to treat childhood obesity and I will keep you posted on any further signs of progress.

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