Drug for diabetes could help heart and circulatory disease

Researchers said that two studies involving the drug metformin have provided promising results for patients with high blood pressure-induced heart damage and a condition called aortic stenosis, which causes heart failure.

The MET-REMODEL trial, which was funded by the British Heart Foundation, found that metformin could reverse harmful thickening of the left ventricle - the heart's main pumping chamber.

It also helped to bring down high blood pressure and reduce bodyweight in patients who had a heart attack.

The study involved treating people with coronary heart disease with metformin or placebo over a period of 12 months to see how the drug affected the heart and circulatory system.

The dangerous thickening of the left ventricle was reduced by twice as much in those taking metformin compared with the placebo.

Patients who took metformin also had reduced blood pressure and lost an average of 3kg (6.6lbs), compared with no weight loss in the placebo group.

Thickening of the heart's main pumping chamber, or left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), is a serious risk factor for heart attack and heart failure, yet most people don't know they have it until they have a heart attack or stroke.

In another study, funded by Scotland's Chief Scientist Office (CSO), the researchers looked at the records of diabetic patients with a condition called aortic stenosis (AS), which affects around 40% people over the age of 60 in the UK and can lead to LVH and subsequently heart failure.

In people with AS, the main artery which supplies blood to the body is narrowed.

The team found that diabetic patients with AS who were treated with metformin were less likely to die from heart attack, stroke or heart failure than those on other diabetes treatment.

The researchers now believe the drug is helping AS and LVH patients by tackling insulin resistance and inflammation, which then leads to a reduction in the size of the left ventricle.

Both studies were led by researchers at the University of Dundee.

Dr Ify Mordi, a clinical lecturer in cardiology at the University of Dundee, said: 'Metformin is emerging as a serious prospect for the treatment of some forms of heart and circulatory disease.

'We know from our previous research that it can reduce inflammation, which is understood to be a major player in the development of heart disease.

'This new research shows that metformin could potentially become a new treatment option for patients with aortic stenosis and thickening of the left ventricle.

'We need to undertake bigger studies to confirm our findings, but if successful this could offer hope for thousands of patients across Scotland and the UK.'

The research is being presented at the British Cardiovascular Society (BCS) Conference in Manchester on Monday.

Professor Jeremy Pearson, associate medical director at the British Heart Foundation, said: 'These studies provide real hope that metformin might help to reduce deaths from heart and circulatory diseases, which currently claim thousands of lives every year.

'Repurposing of drugs like metformin is a great example of how scientists can harness the power of medications which have more than one target in the body.