Taking metformin may increase the chances of living to 90 years.

Metformin is one of the most common drugs for type 2 diabetes.

American researchers have modeled an “ideal” clinical trial for the first time using data from the Women’s Health Initiative large-scale cohort study, and they have concluded that those taking metformin for diabetes live longer.

The findings were published in The Journals of Gerontology: Series A.

The study involved women over 60 years of age with newly diagnosed diabetes who had not previously received therapy. A clinical trial modeling approach was used to assess the impact of treatment on survival. During the analysis, 438 participants were divided into two equal groups: one started therapy with metformin, the other—with sulfonylurea derivatives. Dozens of factors, from body mass index and lifestyle to comorbidities, were taken into account at the same time.

Over the 15-year study, the risk of dying before age 90 was 30 percent lower in the metformin group than in the comparison group. The authors of this emphasize that this is not a proven increase in life expectancy, but simply a comparison with an alternative medical drug. The relationship is not necessarily cause-and-effect, and further research, including randomized controlled trials, is needed.