Metformin enhances clearance of chylomicrons and chylomicron remnants in nondiabetic mildly overweight glucose-intolerant subjects.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the effect of metformin on the metabolism of intestinally derived lipoproteins in nondiabetic individuals who were mildly overweight and glucose intolerant.


METHODS
A total of nine subjects with a BMI > or = 25 kg/m(2) and fasting serum glucose < or = 6.1 mmol/l and who were glucose intolerant were studied. The subjects underwent a vitamin A fat-loading test before and after a 3-month treatment with 850 mg metformin twice a day. The metabolic behavior of the postprandial lipoproteins was compared with that found in a group of 19 healthy normolipidemic individuals who participated in a previous study.


RESULTS
Mean total plasma, chylomicron fraction, and nonchylomicron fraction retinyl palmitate (RP) pretreatment levels were 3.4-fold, 3.59-fold, and 3-fold higher, respectively, in the study group than in the normolipidemic group and were reduced by 50, 56, and 32%, respectively, after 3 months of metformin treatment. The decrease of chylomicron levels after treatment was positively correlated to the fasting triglyceride values before treatment (r = 0.73, P = 0.039) and to the serum insulin level at 120 min of standard glucose loading before treatment (r = 0.91, P = 0.002).


CONCLUSIONS
Metformin was shown to be beneficial in the clearance of postprandial lipoproteins in nondiabetic individuals who were mildly overweight and glucose intolerant.
Grosskopf
I
I
Department of Internal Medicine C Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv University, Israel.
Ringel
Y
Y
Charach
G
G
Maharshak
N
N
Mor
R
R
Iaina
A
A
Weintraub
M
M
D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D002914:Chylomicrons / Q000097:blood*; D004041:Dietary Fats; D005260:Female; D018149:Glucose Intolerance / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008687:Metformin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000097:blood; D019518:Postprandial Period; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood; D014801:Vitamin A
D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D002914:Chylomicrons; D004041:Dietary Fats; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D007328:Insulin; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D014280:Triglycerides; D014801:Vitamin A; D008687:Metformin; D002784:Cholesterol