A common diabetes drug called metformin, when given in small amounts, might protect the heart by improving blood vessel health and reducing heart damage — and it does this without lowering blood sugar.

Metformin, a common diabetes drug, might protect the heart in two different ways: at low doses, it helps blood vessels work better; at high doses, it slows down a part of the cell’s energy system to prevent damage after a heart attack.

A common diabetes drug called metformin might help protect the heart from damage after a heart attack in animals—even if they don’t have diabetes—by turning on a cellular repair switch and stopping harmful leaks in heart cells.

A common diabetes drug called metformin may help protect the heart in animals with diabetes by reducing scarring, heart muscle thickening, and cell death, using specific biological pathways to do so.

In diabetic rats and mice, a common diabetes drug called metformin helps protect the heart after a heart attack by making the body use insulin better and lowering harmful stress in the cells.