Metformin Cuts Pre-90 Death Risk 30% in Women With Type 2 Diabetes

4 articles · Updated · ScienceAlert · May 25

A 2025 study found older women with type 2 diabetes who started metformin were 30% less likely to die before age 90 than peers taking sulfonylurea.
Data from 438 postmenopausal women in a long-running US cohort underpinned the result, with follow-up lasting about 14 to 15 years after treatment began.
Researchers said metformin may affect multiple aging pathways and has previously been linked to less DNA damage, brain wear and tear, and lower long-COVID risk.
The analysis was observational—not a randomized trial—and included no placebo group, so it cannot prove cause and effect and may not apply to men or younger patients.
The findings add to geroscience efforts to test whether slowing biological aging can delay disease as populations age, with randomized trials still needed.

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