Why Dave Palumbo Says Metformin is the Wrong Choice for Bodybuilders

[Kayce]

Dave Palumbo tackled a hot topic in bodybuilding supplementation — Metformin — and made it clear he’s not a fan for muscle-building purposes.

From a bodybuilder’s perspective, Metformin is a dealbreaker because it inhibits IGF-1 release from the liver. Since IGF-1 is a key growth factor triggered by growth hormone (GH) that drives muscle growth, blocking it undermines the very reason bodybuilders use GH in the first place. In Dave’s words, “You couldn’t get me to take Metformin in a million years” if building muscle is the goal.

While Metformin is prescribed to lower fasting blood sugar — mainly by telling the liver to stop releasing glucose — Dave points out this is just a band-aid solution. It doesn’t improve pancreatic function or insulin sensitivity, meaning it doesn’t address the real problem for many athletes with high fasting glucose.

Instead, he suggests that if the pancreas can’t produce enough insulin to keep up with a bodybuilder’s food intake, the smarter and more direct solution is a low dose of long-acting insulin. This reduces pancreatic stress, keeps blood sugar in range, and allows more food intake without wrecking fasting glucose or A1C levels.

Bottom line:

• If your goal is longevity or cancer prevention, lowering IGF-1 with Metformin might make sense.
• If your goal is maximum muscle growth, Metformin works against you.
• For blood sugar control in athletes, Dave prefers approaches that support — not suppress — anabolic pathways.

Would you like me to also include in the forum post the extra insights Dave shared on HGH water retention, pre-workouts, EQ myths, and contest prep timing from the same episode? That could make the thread more valuable.