UK scientists have reported common type 2 diabetes drug, Metformin, ‘may improve clinical outcomes for non-diabetic people with gum disease’ – which can affect health in other parts of the body, including the heart and bones.
The researchers at King’s College London, whose study was published in the Journal of Translational Medicine, also found metformin ‘may help prevent bone loss caused by either periodontal disease or ageing’ (via both mouse and clinical trials).
First the team tested metformin in a mouse model of periodontal disease – and found metformin led to significant prevention of bone loss during induced periodontal disease and age-related bone loss in living mice.
Lead author Dr Vitor Neves told medicalnewstoday.com: ‘What surprised me about metformin was being able to make my ageing animals healthier and prevent 50% of bone loss.
When I analysed that data, it was the first time I felt, ‘Wow, there is really something here’.’
Next the team performed a clinical trial with 20 participants who all had gum disease but did not have diabetes, and discovered those given metformin had improved clinical outcomes in their gum disease treatment; additionally, metformin helped control sugar levels and inflammation in the mouth and body, even when bacteria levels were high.
Dr Neves noted: ‘My clinical data also points to the potential use of metformin to improve the overall health of gum disease patients, due to seeing the stabilisation of glucose levels, improvement of insulin sensitivity and control of inflammation.
‘All these markers are directly related with improvement of ageing. It seems preventing systemic diseases from the mouth is a good pathway to prevent overall systemic diseases.’
He summed up: ‘Current treatments for gum disease only tackle the disease from the bacterial angle, ignoring inflammation. The treatments available do not help toward prevention of other non-communicable diseases.
‘The development of novel therapies and pathways within health systems that see gum disease patients as a potential patient for other non-communicable diseases can help decrease the overall burden of disease around the world – and potentially create a new healthy geriatric generation.’
