Diabetes medications and body weight

Expert Opin Drug Saf. 2009 Sep;8(5):573-84. doi: 10.1517/14740330903081725.

Abstract

Tight diabetes control sometimes comes with a price: weight gain and hypoglycemia. Two of the three major recent trials that looked at the relationship between intensive diabetes control and cardiovascular events reported significant weight gain among the intensively treated groups. There is a growing concern that the weight gain induced by most diabetes medications diminishes their clinical benefits. On the other hand, there is a claim that treating diabetes with medications that are weight neutral or induces weight loss or less weight gain while minimizing those that increase body weight may emerge as the future direction for treating overweight and obese patients with diabetes. This review clarifies the weight effect of each of the currently available diabetes medications, and explains the mechanism of action behind this effect. Despite the great variability among reviewed clinical trials, the currently available evidence is quite sufficient to demonstrate the change in body weight in association with most of the currently available medications. This review also provides some guidelines on using diabetes medications during weight management programs.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Abdominal Fat / drug effects
  • Benzamides / adverse effects
  • Benzamides / pharmacology
  • Body Weight / drug effects*
  • Clinical Trials as Topic
  • Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / complications
  • Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / drug therapy
  • Dipeptidyl Peptidase 4
  • Dipeptidyl-Peptidase IV Inhibitors
  • Double-Blind Method
  • Exenatide
  • Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 / biosynthesis
  • Glycoside Hydrolase Inhibitors
  • Humans
  • Hypoglycemic Agents / adverse effects
  • Hypoglycemic Agents / pharmacology*
  • Hypoglycemic Agents / therapeutic use
  • Insulin / adverse effects
  • Insulin / therapeutic use
  • Metformin / therapeutic use
  • Obesity / chemically induced
  • Obesity / complications
  • Obesity / prevention & control
  • Peptides / therapeutic use
  • Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
  • Sulfonylurea Compounds / adverse effects
  • Sulfonylurea Compounds / pharmacology
  • Sulfonylurea Compounds / therapeutic use
  • Thiazolidinediones / adverse effects
  • Thiazolidinediones / therapeutic use
  • Venoms / therapeutic use
  • Weight Gain / drug effects*
  • Weight Loss

Substances

  • Benzamides
  • Dipeptidyl-Peptidase IV Inhibitors
  • Glycoside Hydrolase Inhibitors
  • Hypoglycemic Agents
  • Insulin
  • Peptides
  • Sulfonylurea Compounds
  • Thiazolidinediones
  • Venoms
  • Glucagon-Like Peptide 1
  • meglitinide
  • Metformin
  • Exenatide
  • DPP4 protein, human
  • Dipeptidyl Peptidase 4