Study designs of evaluations included in the review
Randomised active, controlled studies were included.
Specific interventions included in the review
Metformin, chlorpropamide, glyburide, tolbutamide, insulin and diet therapy.
Participants included in the review
Patients with type II diabetes (non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus) were included. No other patient characteristics were provided.
Outcomes assessed in the review
The outcomes assessed were the effects of metformin therapy on metabolic and cardiovascular risk factors, specifically: weight, blood-pressure, total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, fasting and postprandial glucose, glycosylated haemoglobin, and adverse events such as hypoglycaemia and nausea.
How were decisions on the relevance of primary studies made?
The authors do not state how the papers were selected for the review, or how many of the authors performed the selection.