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But after breaking down by diabetes therapies, sulfonylureas and insulin were both associated w/13% greater cancer mortality while metformin use by itself was associated w/15% less cancer mortality, all relative to non-diabetics. So our quiver of arrows is now up to at least 5 studies demonstrating benefit of metformin vs cancer.
However, lest you get overly excited about these observational studies, a review of 13 such studies published in this month's Diabetes Care suggests that the supposed benefit can be accounted for time-related biases. Lest I throw a wet blanket on all the excitement surrounding the potential off-label use of this inexpensive and relatively safe medication, let's not forget the basis of this series of posts was founded upon cellular signaling pathways common to both metformin & exercise , the latter which has also proven beneficial.
While I can't yet advocate the use of metformin as a prophylactic against cancer, I can certainly urge you to choose to eat healthy foods and to regularly participate in physical activities with a corollary effect of obtaining/maintaining appropriate body weight in order to lower one's risk of developing cancer and improve one's odds of survival. So don't just sit there, do something! Follow @alvinblin  
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