Metformin, a common treatment for type 2 diabetes, has long puzzled scientists because it’s been difficult to pin down exactly how it works.
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There are many theories as to how the diabetes drug metformin lowers blood sugar levels, but now, scientists think they’ve discovered the main route.
It turns out that the drug, primarily used in type 2 diabetes, forces gut cells to absorb and burn extra glucose. It achieves this by messing with gut cells’ mitochondria — their internal power generators.
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Kamal Nahas is a freelance contributor based in Oxford, U.K. His work has appeared in New Scientist, Science and The Scientist, among other outlets, and he mainly covers research on evolution, health and technology. He holds a PhD in pathology from the University of Cambridge and a master’s degree in immunology from the University of Oxford. He currently works as a microscopist at the Diamond Light Source, the U.K.’s synchrotron. When he’s not writing, you can find him hunting for fossils on the Jurassic Coast.
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