A recent scientific study has revealed promising results indicating that metformin, a low-cost drug used for decades to treat diabetes, may help reduce the risk of developing osteoarthritis, one of the most common joint diseases worldwide.

The study showed that metformin use was associated with a reduction in the risk of developing osteoarthritis in the knee and hip joints by up to 24%, opening the possibility of using the drug for disease prevention in the future.

Osteoarthritis is a chronic disease resulting from the wear and tear of joint cartilage, leading to pain, joint stiffness, and reduced mobility. In advanced stages, some patients may require joint replacement surgery or rely on painkillers and steroid injections to alleviate symptoms.

The researchers from Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China, analyzed health records of approximately 350,000 participants from the UK Biobank database, with follow-up over ten years. The results showed that diabetic patients who used metformin were less likely to develop knee and hip osteoarthritis compared to non-users.

The researchers suggest that metformin may achieve this protective effect by reducing inflammation and enhancing the activity of enzymes that help maintain cartilage integrity, which acts as a cushion that absorbs shock between bones and maintains efficient joint movement.

The study team noted that these benefits may extend to individuals without diabetes in the future, but this possibility requires additional clinical trials to prove efficacy and safety.

Professor Lucy Donaldson from the Arthritis Foundation in the UK described the results as "encouraging," while emphasizing that adopting metformin for osteoarthritis prevention requires large-scale, high-quality clinical studies before formal treatment recommendations.

A recent scientific study has revealed promising results indicating that (metformin); a low-cost drug that has been used for decades to treat diabetes, may help reduce the risk of developing osteoarthritis (joint stiffness), one of the most common joint diseases worldwide.

The study showed that the use of (metformin) was associated with a reduction in the risk of developing osteoarthritis in the knee and hip joints by up to 24%, opening the door for the potential use of the drug in preventing the disease in the future.

Osteoarthritis is considered a chronic disease resulting from the wear and tear of the joint cartilage, leading to pain, stiffness in the joints, and reduced mobility. Some patients in advanced stages may have to undergo joint replacement surgeries or rely on painkillers and steroid injections to alleviate symptoms.

The researchers from Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China, relied on analyzing health records of about 350,000 participants within the UK Biobank database, with a follow-up period extending over ten years. The results showed that diabetic patients who used metformin were less likely to develop osteoarthritis in the knee and hip compared to non-users.

The researchers suggest that (metformin) may achieve this protective effect by reducing inflammation and enhancing the activity of enzymes that help maintain the integrity of the cartilage, which acts as a cushion that absorbs shocks between the bones and maintains the efficiency of joint movement.

The study team pointed out that these results may extend their benefits in the future to individuals without diabetes; however, this possibility still requires additional clinical trials to prove its efficacy and safety.

For her part, Professor Lucy Donaldson from the Arthritis Foundation in the UK described the results as "encouraging," while also emphasizing that the adoption of metformin as a means of preventing osteoarthritis requires conducting large-scale, high-quality clinical studies before reaching official treatment recommendations.