The popular diabetes drug metformin has been used for decades — and scientists just figured out its main mechanism

A close up of an orange pill bottle with the label "metformin" on it.

There are many theories as to how the diabetes drug metformin lowers blood sugar levels, but now, scientists think they've discovered the main route.

It turns out that the drug, primarily used in type 2 diabetes, forces gut cells to absorb and burn extra glucose. It achieves this by messing with gut cells' mitochondria — their internal power generators.