Cited by 63Gut microbiota and healthPharmacology and Obesity TreatmentRegulation of Appetite and Obesity

Metformin induces weight loss associated with gut microbiota alteration in non-diabetic obese women: a randomized double-blind clinical trial

Open access
Ejtahed, Hanieh-Sadat, Tito, Raul Y, Siadat, Seyed-Davar, Hasani-Ranjbar, Shirin, Hoseini-Tavassol, Zahra, Rymenans, Leen, Verbeke, Kristin, Soroush, Ahmad-Reza +2 more·2019·European Journal of Endocrinology

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The increasing prevalence of obesity over the past few decades constitutes a global health challenge. Pharmacological therapy is recommended to accompany life-style modification for obesity management. Here, we perform a clinical trial to investigate the effects of metformin on anthropometric indices and gut microbiota composition in non-diabetic, treatment-naive obese women with a low-calorie diet (LCD). DESIGN: Randomized double-blind parallel-group clinical trial. METHODS: Forty-six obese women were randomly assigned to the metformin (500 mg/tab) or placebo groups using computer-generated random numbers. Subjects in both groups took two tablets per day for 2 months. Anthropometric measurements and collection of blood and fecal samples were done at the baseline and at the end of the trial. Gut microbiota composition was assessed using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. RESULTS: Twenty-four and twenty-two subjects were included in the metformin + LCD and placebo + LCD groups, respectively; at the end of trial, 20 and 16 subjects were analyzed. The metformin + LCD and placebo + LCD caused a 4.5 and 2.6% decrease in BMI from the baseline values, respectively (P < 0.01). Insulin concentration decreased in the metformin + LCD group (P = 0.046). The overall fecal microbiota composition and diversity were unaffected in the metformin + LCD group. However, a significant specific increase in Escherichia/Shigella abundance was observed after metformin + LCD intervention (P = 0.026). Fecal acetate concentration, but not producers, was significantly higher in the placebo + LCD group, adjusted for baseline values and BMI (P = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Despite the weight reduction after metformin intake, the overall fecal microbiota composition remained largely unchanged in obese women, with exception of changes in specific proteobacterial groups.

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1530/eje-18-0826

Cites

55 of 55 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Claims the paper makes

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • Metformin decreases body weight in both diabetic and non-diabetic individuals.

    “In contrast to other antidiabetic drugs including insulin, metformin can lead independently to glycemic control and weight loss by decreasing food intake in both diabetic and non-diabetic individuals (18–20).”
  • Metformin induced significant weight loss compared with placebo in non-diabetic obese women, and this effect was associated with gut microbiota alteration.

    “Ejtahed et al. (20) demonstrated in a RCT that metformin induced significant weight loss compared with placebo, and this effect was associated with gut microbiota alteration in non-diabetic obese women.”

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

The self-check needs the paper’s full text.

Cites

1 retracted

Flagged first, then by citations

Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. Rodriguez J, Hiel S, Delzenne NM. Metformin: old friend, new ways of action- implication of the gut microbiome? Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2018;21(4):294-301.

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Ejtahed, H.-S., Tito, R. Y., Siadat, S.-D., Hasani-Ranjbar, S., Hoseini-Tavassol, Z., Rymenans, L., Verbeke, K., Soroush, A.-R., Raes, J., & Larijani, B.
Affiliations
  • Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinical Sciences Institute (IR)
  • KU Leuven (BE)
  • Pasteur Institute of Iran (IR)
  • 1Obesity and Eating Habits Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinical Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  • 3Department of Mycobacteriology and Pulmonary Research, Microbiology Research Center, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
Corresponding author
Raes, Jeroen
Venue
European Journal of Endocrinology
Published
2019-03
Volume
180
Issue
3
Pages
165-176
ISSN
  • 0804-4643 (ISSN-L)
  • 1479-683X
OpenAlex
W2903633588
Cited by
63
References
55
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 4
FWCI
2.67
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
other-oa
Locations
  • European Journal of Endocrinology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Lirias (submittedVersion, other-oa)
Funders
National Institute for Medical Research Development
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Gut microbiota and health
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Pharmacology and Obesity Treatment
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Regulation of Appetite and Obesity
Keywords
metformin, obesity, weight loss, gut microbiota, hypocaloric diet, Escherichia-Shigella, insulin, body mass index, Proteobacteria

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review