In Some Patients Metformin Impairs Thinking-Vitamin B12 may Help

Published: Sep 9, 2013 | Updated: Sep 9, 2013

By Kristina Fiore, Staff Writer, MedPage Today

The widely acclaimed diabetes drug metformin was linked with impaired brain function in patients who took the drug, although supplementation with vitamin B12 may alleviate metformin-induced deficiencies, according to new research.

In a retrospective study, diabetic patients who were taking metformin had worse cognitive performance than those not taking the drug (odds ratio 2.23, 95% CI 1.05-4.75), Eileen Moore, PhD, of the University of Melbourne in Australia, and colleagues reported online in Diabetes Care.

Additionally, patients with diabetes who had vitamin B12 levels less than 250 pmol/L also had worse cognitive performance (OR 2.29, 95% CI 1.12-4.66), and the association between metformin and cognitive impairment was weakened after adjusting for vitamin B12 levels, they stated.

Full Story:  http://www.medpagetoday.com/Endocrinology/Diabetes/41455

Primary source: Diabetes Care
Source reference: Moore EM, et al “Increased risk of cognitive impairment in patients with diabetes is associated with metformin” Diabetes Care 2013; DOI: 10.2337/dc13-0229.