{
  "abstract": "The incidence of diabetes is increasing in several countries, including Saudi Arabia. Metformin is a common treatment for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM); however, its effect on the metabolic profile of patients newly diagnosed with T2DM remains unclear. To evaluate the effects of metformin on the metabolic profile, including hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and lipid levels, in patients newly diagnosed with T2DM in Madinah, Saudi Arabia. This prospective observational study involved 82 participants newly diagnosed with T2DM. The participants were aged between 30 and 65 years, and their HbA1c level was ≥6.5% higher than the normal range. None of them had taken any oral hypoglycemic medication before metformin treatment. Fourteen patients did not undergo regular follow-ups. A total of 68 patients completed the study. The primary outcomes were changes in HbA1c, cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and hepatic enzyme marker levels. The HbA1c level significantly reduced after the 12-week treatment period (6.85% vs 7.29% at baseline, P = .001). Furthermore, 67.3% of the patients exhibited a noteworthy decrease in cholesterol (4.68 vs 5.18 mmol/L at baseline, P = .014) and LDL levels (3.03 vs 3.52 mmol/L at baseline, P = .006). However, no significant changes were observed in the levels of the other lipid profile markers. Various dosages of metformin showed comparable effects in reducing HbA1c, cholesterol, and LDL levels, but inconsistent effects on hepatic enzymes. The results suggest that metformin can be considered an initial treatment option for patients newly diagnosed with T2DM. These findings are significant given the increasing prevalence of diabetes in Saudi Arabia and the need for effective and safe treatment options. Further studies are required to explore the pharmacogenomics and metabolomics of metformin in this specific population.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia",
    "College of Medicine, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia",
    "King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia",
    "Family Medicine and Primary Health Care Centre, Prince Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz Hospital, National Guard Health Affairs, Madinah, Saudi Arabia",
    "Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom",
    "Department of Genetic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia",
    "Princess Al-Jawhara Center of Excellence in Research of Hereditary Disorders, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia",
    "Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia",
    "Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia."
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 11,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Huda Alkreathy"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Fawaz Abdullah Alharbi",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-8976-7985"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Rania Magadmi"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1,
        2
      ],
      "name": "Alqassem Y. Hakami"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Areej Aljumaidi"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Muhammad Ahmad"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5,
        6
      ],
      "name": "Noor Shaik"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        7
      ],
      "name": "Khaled Yaghmour"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Ahmed Esmat"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        8
      ],
      "name": "Hala Mosli"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Zoheir Damanhouri"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/2924v1km6k7rg.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1097/md.0000000000051295",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13727209/?tool=EBI",
  "id": "2924v1km6k7rg",
  "issns": [
    "0304-5412",
    "1536-5964",
    "0025-7974"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13727209",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "4300"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Observational Study"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Research Article"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": null,
  "pdf_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13727209/pdf/?tool=EBI",
  "pmcid": "PMC13727209",
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-30",
  "publisher": "Wolters Kluwer Health",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/2924v1km6k7rg.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-03T15:20:51Z",
      "native_id": "PMC:PMC13727209",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13727209"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-05T12:23:20Z",
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      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1097/md.0000000000051295"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "journal-openalex:F27",
      "subfield": "general"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Effectiveness of metformin as initial treatment on the metabolic profile of Saudi patients newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus : A prospective observational study",
  "title_text": "Effectiveness of metformin as initial treatment on the metabolic profile of Saudi patients newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus : A prospective observational study",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-06T12:22:56Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/2924v1km6k7rg",
  "venue": "Medicine",
  "versions": []
}