Concepcion JQ, et al. - According to this large retrospective study, metformin combined with lifestyle interventions reduced weight, BMI, and BMI z score in pediatric patients with obesity and insulin resistance for up to 24 months when compared with intensive and routine counselling alone.

• The researchers looked at 7,068 children aged 10 to 17 who had a BMI of 95th percentile or higher and insulin resistance.

• The 955 patients in the final cohort were divided into three groups based on their BMI at 0 to 24 months: metformin plus intensive lifestyle changes, intensive counseling alone, and routine counseling.

• At 6 and 12 months, metformin treatment resulted in significant decreases in weight (−3.5 kg and −5.3 kg), BMI (−1.06 kg/m ^² and −1.23 kg/m ^²), and BMI z score (−0.05 and −0.07), which continued to decline at 24 months (−0.05 and −0.08), compared with control groups.

• Adolescents between the ages of 15 and 17 exhibited similar improvements.

• The metformin group also saw improvements in systolic blood pressure and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.