Effect of metformin on the epigenetic age of peripheral blood in patients with diabetes mellitus.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Small cross-sectional comparative observational study
PubMed 36226195 · doi:10.3389/fgene.2022.955835
What was done
Peripheral blood samples were collected from 32 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, divided into a metformin-treated group and a non-metformin group. Biological age acceleration was calculated and compared between the two groups using three established DNA methylation clocks: Horvath, Hannum, and DNAmPhenoAge.
What was found
All three epigenetic clocks correlated strongly with chronological age. Metformin intake showed an association with slower epigenetic aging based on Horvath's and Hannum's clocks. The abstract does not provide exact numbers, effect sizes, or statistical values for these associations.
Why it matters
It provides preliminary human observational data exploring whether metformin exposure correlates with lower epigenetic age acceleration in individuals with diabetes.
Limits
The sample size is very small (total n = 32 across both groups). The cross-sectional, non-randomized design cannot establish causality and is prone to confounding by diabetes severity or concurrent medications. The abstract does not report quantitative metrics, effect sizes, confidence intervals, or the specific outcome for the DNAmPhenoAge clock.
Cited by
- supports Studies suggest metformin affects epigenetic age, though its effect is much weaker than antiretroviral or anti-TNF therapies.