Metformin attenuates the postprandial fall in blood pressure in type 2 diabetes

Metformin has been shown to modulate the cardiovascular response to intraduodenal glucose in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM), and may have the capacity to regulate postprandial blood pressure (BP), which is often inadequately compensated in T2DM, resulting in postprandial hypotension. In the present study, we evaluated the acute effects of metformin on the BP and heart rate (HR) responses to oral glucose in patients with T2DM. Ten diet‐controlled T2DM patients were evaluated on two occasions in a double‐blind, randomized, crossover design. Participants received either metformin 1 g or saline (control) intraduodenally 60 minutes before ingesting a 50 g glucose drink labelled with 150 mg 13C‐acetate. BP, HR, plasma glucagon‐like peptide‐1 (GLP‐1) and gastric emptying (breath test) were evaluated over 180 minutes. Systolic and diastolic BP decreased and HR increased after oral glucose (P