Randomized metformin and cognitive outcomes in the Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study

Importance

Metformin may influence risk of dementia, with prior conflicting observations of protection or harm.

Objective

To determine the association of randomization to metformin vs. placebo or intensive lifestyle intervention (ILS) in the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) with cognitive outcomes (cognitive impairment syndromes and trajectories of cognitive test performance) during the DPP Outcomes Study (DPPOS).

Design, Setting & Participants

Prospective long-term follow-up of DPP/DPPOS participants at 27 U.S. centers among adults who were at high risk for type 2 diabetes (T2D) at baseline.

Exposures

Randomization to metformin, placebo, or ILS (1996–1999) for 3.2 years followed by open-label metformin in the original randomized metformin group until 2021.

Main Outcomes & Measures

Cognitive impairment syndromes were adjudicated in 2022– 2024 in 1,483 participants (median age 74 [IQR 68, 80]) using the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center Uniform Dataset version 3. Cognitive performance in executive and memory domains was ascertained with repeated cognitive tests between 2009 and 2024. Multinomial logistic regression and mixed-effects models were fit to examine associations of randomization to metformin with cognitive outcomes.

Results

Total metformin exposure (mean ± SD) was 15.5 ±7.7 years/person in the metformin group. Persons in the placebo and ILS groups received out-of-study metformin usually after developing diabetes with mean metformin total exposure of 4.5 ±5.1 and 3.8 ±4.8 years/person in the placebo and ILS groups, respectively. Overall, the frequency distributions of the cognitive syndromes did not differ significantly by treatment group; however, randomization to metformin was associated with a 60% (OR 0.40 [95%CI 0.17, 0.97]) and 62% (OR 0.38 [95%CI 0.16, 0.89]) lower odds of dementia compared with placebo and ILS, respectively, after adjustment for demographics, education, income, and APOE-ε4 genotype. Randomization to metformin was also associated with significantly better memory performance over time (β=0.58; 95%CI: 0.09, 1.1; p=0.02; Cohen’s d=0.1).

Conclusions and Relevance

Long-term metformin treatment is associated with a reduced risk of dementia and better memory performance among persons with pre-diabetes or T2D. Estimates were imprecise due to a limited number of dementia cases. Longer follow-up with more dementia cases is needed to confirm our findings.

KEY POINTS