In a world where the population is ageing, there is growing interest and demand for research evaluating strategies that address the ageing process. After 60 years of successful use of metformin in our pharmaceutical armamentarium, we are learning that, beyond improving glycaemic control, metformin may have additional mechanisms and pathways of action that need further study. Although, metformin's effect on clinical ageing outcomes may still be considered speculative, the findings from studies into cellular and animal models and from observational and pilot human studies support the existence of beneficial effects on ageing. At present, progress for human research, using randomised clinical trials to evaluate metformin's clinical impact, has just started. Here, we present a review on the ageing process and the mechanisms involved, and the role that metformin may have to counter these. We go on to discuss the upcoming large randomised clinical trials that may provide insight on the use of metformin for ageing outcomes beyond glycaemic control.
Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutical Science
9
5%
Engineering
5
3%
Other
15
9%
Unknown
69
39%
Attention Score in Context
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 36. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 23 September 2025.
All research outputs
#1,415,788
of 34,347,532 outputs
Outputs from Diabetologia
#714
of 6,898 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#21,248
of 357,906 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Diabetologia
#30
of 94 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 34,347,532 research outputs across all sources so far. Compared to these this one has done particularly well and is in the 95th percentile: it's in the top 5% of all research outputs ever tracked by Altmetric.
So far Altmetric has tracked 6,898 research outputs from this source. They typically receive a lot more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 23.6. This one has done well, scoring higher than 89% of its peers.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 357,906 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 94% of its contemporaries.
We're also able to compare this research output to 94 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 68% of its contemporaries.
