The Medical Advisor

Metformin may have several uses beyond diabetes, such as promoting longevity and weight loss and protecting against neurological disorders, cancer, and cardiovascular disease, and macular degeneration. Most of the proposed uses are off-label, which means the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved the medication to treat those conditions. While research on some off-label metformin uses is promising, studies on other uses are inconsistent. Some are controversial because they may not offer the best approach for addressing a health issue. Additionally, although metformin is generally well-tolerated, it does have some adverse effects and is not for everyone. Metformin and Geographic Atrophy Metformin, a common Type 2 diabetes, may offer protection against a subtype of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), according to a study published in Investigative Ophthalmology & Vision Science (IOVS). Macular degeneration, a condition mainly associated with aging, affects the ...

Picture curcumin as your body’s firefighter, always on standby and ready to spring into action to put out the flames of inflammation. Like a firefighter extinguishes fires to prevent damage, curcumin smothers the slow-burning flames of inflammation and oxidative stress, which can harm cells, tissues, and organs if left unchecked. Curcumin is the primary ingredient in turmeric, the golden spice from the root of the Curcuma longa plant. A member of the ginger family, turmeric owes its yellow-orange hue to curcumin. In natural medicine, turmeric has earned its reputation as a go-to remedy. It is historically valued for its ability to address a wide range of conditions, from arthritis and digestive disorders to wound healing . But modern science has been catching up. In the 1800s, scientists Henri Auguste Vogel and Pierre Joseph Pellitier reported that they'd isolated a “yellow coloring-matter” from turmeric and named it curcumin. In 1949, authors of a paper published in Nature were...