A drug used by patients with diabetes holds potential in helping people lose weight and keep it off, a study suggests.
Metformin is dished out to millions across the world to treat type 2 diabetes, as it helps the body respond to insulin.
But a 15-year study of more than 30,000 people found a daily dose can also lead to steady long-term weight loss.
It was a more successful intervention than a strict diet and exercise plan, which researchers warned people quickly get bored of.
Metformin is used to treat people with type 2 diabetes, but has also shown to have potential to help people lose weight and keep it off in a study by Louisiana State University
In the future, they suggest metformin could be prescribed to people who have worked hard to lose weight for health purposes.
The study authors wrote in the Annals of Internal Medicine: 'Helping overweight and obese patients lose weight and keep it off is a major public health problem.
'Although some patients are initially successful in losing weight, many regain some if not most of the weight.
'Understanding factors that contribute to long-term weight loss (LTWL) may allow for development of interventions that promote LTWL.'
The study, part of the CDC's Diabetes Prevention Program, compared the effects of metformin to a healthy diet and exercise.
Researchers at Louisiana State University recruited 3,234 participants who were obese, overweight or had elevated glucose levels.
Metformin is an oral antidiabetic drug for the treatment of diabetes.
Created by Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Metformin is approved in the US and the UK as a treatment for type 2 diabetes.
It helps diabetics to respond normally to insulin. Like most diabetic drugs, the ultimate goals of Metformin are to lower blood sugar to a normal level and maintain this level.
Metformin helps the body to control blood sugar in several ways. The drug helps type 2 diabetics respond better to their own insulin, lower the amount of sugar created by the liver, and decreasing the amount of sugar absorbed
