Additive glucose-lowering effects of glucagon-like peptide-1 and metformin in type 2 diabetes

What Was Tested

This randomized controlled trial paper looks at Glucagon.

The biguanide metformin is believed to lower plasma glucose without affecting insulin secretion.

The researchers conducted this study to investigate the effect of a combination therapy with GLP-1 and metformin, which could theoretically be additive, in type 2 diabetic patients.

Who Took Part

The abstract describes 2 patients taking part.

PubMed indexes the participants as middle-aged adults, both men and women.

How the Study Was Run

The researchers set it up as a randomized, placebo-controlled and crossover study.

Random assignment meant chance, not the researchers, decided who got Glucagon and who got the comparison, which limits bias.

The comparison arm used a placebo, so changes seen with Glucagon could be set against what happens without it.

In the crossover set-up each of the patients took both Glucagon and the comparison in turn, acting as their own control.

Under fixed energy intake, the researchers examined the effects on plasma glucose, insulin, C-peptide, glucagon, and appetite.

What Was Measured

PubMed files the paper under topics including Blood Glucose, C-Peptide, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2, Gastrointestinal Hormones, Glucagon, Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 and Glucagon-Like Peptides.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, placebo-controlled and crossover study of Glucagon in 2 patients.

With fewer than 40 people, it is a small study, so it is better read as an early signal for further research than as a settled answer.

The abstract goes on to report its results in about 5 sentences; this page does not restate them, so read the paper for the findings and their limits.

The publication is from 2001 (Diabetes care), a journal based in United States.

More context: the Glucagon compound page, all human trials.