Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Metformin (MET) is mainly used in diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM2) therapy. Little is known about its effects in patients with metabolic syndrome (MS) and insulin resistance (IR) without DM2.

Aim: To asses the influence of MET on carbohydrate metabolism in young prediabetic women with MS.

Materials and methods: The study population: 30 women with MS aged 25–45 years before (M₁) and after (M₂) MET therapy (1700 mg per day for 4 months). Control group (C): 15 nonobese women. Anthropometric parameters, fasting glucose and insulin concentrations, insulin resistance (HOMA, FIRI) and sensitivity (QUICKI) indexes were estimated. Oral glucose tolerance test was performed. Total glucose (ΣG), total insulin (ΣI), ΣI/ΣG, area under curve (AUC) of glucose and insulin concentrations were calculated. All parameters were evaluated before and after MET.

Results: There were higher glucose and insulin at 0′, 30′, 60′ and 120′ OGTT, higher ΣG, ΣI, ΣI/ΣG, AUC of glucose and insulin in M₁ than in C group. After therapy ΣG and AUC of glucose did not change significantly, the other parameters decreased nonsignificantly and were still higher than in C. HOMA, FIRI were higher in M₁, showed nonsignificant downward tendency after therapy. QUICKI was lower in M₁, did not change after therapy. Body mass, BMI, waist and hip circumferences decreased after therapy.

Conclusion: Of 4-months MET therapy in women with MS decreased body mass, BMI and waist and hip circumferences. There was nonsignificant tendency to decrease glucose and insulin concentrations and IR indexes values after MET therapy.