Metformin to Augment Strength Training Effective Response in Seniors

Strength exercise training is the most effective intervention identified to combat loss of muscle function with advancing age; however, the response to exercise is blunted and highly variable in older adults. This randomized, placebo-controlled trial – a collaboration between two major academic medical centers (University of Kentucky and University of Alabama at Birmingham) – is designed to determine if the addition of a medication (metformin) will improve the effectiveness of strength training in older adults. The overall goal is to establish a low cost, personalized approach to prevent frailty in older adults.

Funding: National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Aging (Grant #1R01AG046920)

Investigators: Charlotte Peterson, PhD, and Phil Kern, MD, University of Kentucky; Marcas Bamman, PhD, University of Alabama at Birmingham

Participants: 65+ years of age; no history of diabetes; no intensive strength training during the past three years; access to transportation; must meet all other inclusion and exclusion criteria.

Benefits: Supervised exercise training 3 days per week for 14 weeks with certified trainers in a clinical research setting; free assessments of health and functional status, body composition, and fitness; opportunity to play a pivotal role in biomedical research that will advance personalized exercise medicine for older adults.