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Metformin has been prescribed to over 120 million people worldwide to treat diabetes. This widespread use has led to unexpected discoveries that benefit the fight against cancer. For example, one study found that:

people taking Metformin reduced their chance of developing any type of cancer by up to 88%!

Another study that included over 200,000 people found that patients who used Metformin had significantly lower cancer mortality.

According to two decades of published data, it has been documented that Metformin can:

⇩ Reduce the likelihood of cancer incidence;

⇩ Reduce the mortality of cancers;

⇧ Increase the effectiveness of radiotherapy and chemotherapy;

⇩ Reduce the tumor movement and malignity;

⇩ Reduce the likelihood of relapse.

In this article, we will review the recognized anti-cancer capabilities of Metformin, safety track record in patients, and the role it can play to help starve cancer of needed fuel sources. Let’s dive in!

Anti-Cancer Benefits of Metformin

Metformin is considered the go-to medication for treating patients with Type 2 diabetes. Its proven effectiveness and excellent safety track record make Metformin one of the most important drugs available. However, research has shown that Metformin can also have a role beyond diabetes; studies have reported promising results treating obesity, addressing metabolic abnormalities, anti-aging application, providing neuroprotection, as well as preventing and treating cancer.

Since Metformin has been used by over 120 million people worldwide, researchers have been able to compare cancer incidence and outcomes of patients that use Metformin vs non-users. The evidence from these massive studies has shown a dramatic anti-cancer benefit. For example, five studies that included a total of 860,000 individuals reported that Metformin use caused between a 26% to 88% reduction in death from cancer. Another study that included 7,700 patients reported Metformin use increased overall survival in stage IV cancer patients.

Additionally, many studies show that Metformin can reduce cancer recurrence for many disease types.

After realizing that this medication can play a role in preventing cancer, treating the disease, and avoiding cancer relapse, researchers quickly assembled to uncover the specific anticancer mechanisms of action for Metformin. They found that Metformin has numerous anti-cancer activities.

Metformin as a Metabolic Cancer Therapy (Mechanisms of Action)

Here are several frequently observed examples of how Metformin attacks cancer.

Metformin Prevents Cancer Metastasis

Cancer uses specific enzymes to migrate and invade nearby normal cells. Multiple studies observed that Metformin reduced critical enzymes used by cancer thus inhibiting growth. Again, restricting carbohydrates from the diet while taking Metformin can boost this effect.

Metformin Attacks Cancer Stem Cells

The existence of cancer stem cells are a recent discovery, they were first identified in solid tumors in 2003. Experts believe cancer stem cells:

• Multiply indefinitely

• Develop highly metastatic cells that spread to other parts of the body

• Are resistant to chemo and radiotherapy

• Are responsible for cancer relapse after standard therapy induced remission

Many clinicians in the cancer treatment community believe this is where Metformin can significantly reduce cancer relapse rates. Over 100 studies have identified dozens of potential mechanisms that enable Metformin to preferentially kill cancer stem cells.

Metformin Starves Cancer of Glucose, Amino Acids, and Fatty Acids

Many of these anti-cancer qualities exist because Metformin has demonstrated an ability to disrupt cancer’s ability to use three critical resources: Glucose, Amino Acids, and Fatty Acids.

While it appears Metformin can help cancer patients, it is not recommended as a monotherapy for cancer. It is suggested that Metformin works best when incorporated into a holistic metabolic cancer therapy that uses other safe medications, supplements, and nutritional approaches that attack cancer from multiple angles. A tremendous body of evidence shows that Metformin can potentially play a role in the cancer attack plan.

To recap, over the last 20 years, thousands of studies have shown that Metformin can help fight cancer by:

◈ Disrupting cancer’s ability to generate energy

◈ Trigger cancer cell apoptosis

◈ Reduce insulin driven cancer growth

◈ Improve the immune systems anti-cancer capability

◈ Interrupt the cancer cell cycle, thus preventing multiplication

◈ Inhibit enzymes that permit cancer to metastasize

◈ Kill cancer stem cells to reduce disease recurrence

Furthermore, the use of Metformin by over 100 million people has demonstrated that it is safe to take alongside standard cancer treatments like chemo, radiation, and immunotherapy. 

Metformin is an off patent drug, this makes it low cost and widely available. However, since it is not patentable, there is no financial incentive for a pharmaceutical company to seek FDA approval as a cancer treatment. Patients will need to work with a licensed medical provider to obtain a prescription and gain monitored use.

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The information, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material contained on this website are for information purposes only and was based on the latest research accessible to the author at the time of publication. No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new healthcare regiment, and never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.

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