Numerous studies have shown that metformin can help treat life-shortening diseases that are currently the leading causes of death in North America, including diabetes, heart disease, some types of cancer, kidney disease, liver disease, and obesity.Front End ClinolAugust 4, 2021;12). A review of 53 studies found that metformin is associated with reduced mortality from these diseases, but at this time metformin cannot be prescribed to slow aging because there are no studies showing that metformin helps prevent aging and not just the symptoms of specific diseases (Reforming an ageing society2017;40(37):31-44). The TAME trial hopes to change that by investigating whether metformin can slow aging overall, rather than treating specific age-related diseases individually. If the TAME trial proves to have anti-aging effects, organizers hope to gain FDA approval for metformin as an anti-aging treatment.
The American Federation of Aging Research is calling for donations to help fund the Targeting Aging with Metformin trial. The research group will enroll more than 3,000 people ages 69-79 in a six-year study at 14 major research centers in North America, led by Wake Forest University School of Medicine, to test whether metformin can slow the onset and progression of chronic diseases associated with aging. Their website states: https://www.afar.org/tame-trial No pharmaceutical company would fund a clinical trial for metformin because it would not be profitable. Metformin is inexpensive and has been on the market since 1958. It is a generic drug and is the second most prescribed drug in the United States, with over 91 million prescriptions per year.
How does metformin help slow aging?
Metformin prevents tissue damage by blocking inflammation and oxidation, which accelerate aging, and helps damaged tissue heal. It lowers high blood sugar levels by increasing the effectiveness of insulin, reducing the amount of sugar released into the bloodstream by the liver, reducing the amount of sugar absorbed from the intestine, and increasing the amount of sugar excreted in the urine (MMedicine in Drug Discovery2020 Dec;8:100062). For more information about the research and planned topics, please visit: https://www.afar.org/tame-trial
Lifestyle Factors That Slow Aging and Improve Quality of Life
• Be physically active and exercise daily. Exercise has been shown to help prevent and treat certain diseases associated with premature death. Some studies have shown that lifestyle factors can help prevent and treat some diseases.
• Eat a plant-based, anti-inflammatory diet rich in vegetables, fruits, unmilled whole grains, beans, seeds and nuts. Avoid mammalian meats, processed meats, foods and drinks with added sugars, ultra-processed foods and fried foods.
• Try to get 7-9 hours of sleep each night.
• Avoid smoking or living with smokers.
• Avoid or severely limit alcohol.
• Avoid excess body fat, especially in the abdominal area.
• Maintain blood hydroxyvitamin D levels above 30 ng/mL.
• Avoid chronic exposure to excessive sunlight.
• Avoid exposure to x-rays and other sources of radiation, and a variety of toxic substances such as pesticides, herbicides, and industrial chemicals.
• Treats chronic infections anywhere in the body.
I recommend
To live longer, try to follow all the rules of healthy living and while you wait for the results of the TAME trial, ask your doctor if metformin is right for you. There is evidence that controlling high blood sugar levels after meals can extend your life and metformin may help you reach your goal. Up to 70% of North American adults end up with high blood sugar levels after meals and 30% of people with diabetes don’t know they have it because they have normal fasting blood sugar levels. If your blood sugar level is over 145 mg/dL one hour after a meal, you can suffer all the horrible side effects of diabetes even if your fasting blood sugar level is normal.
Metformin helps keep high blood sugar levels in check, but at this time doctors don’t have solid evidence that metformin helps extend life, so they’ll be looking at the results of the TAME trial. Again, their website says https://www.afar.org/tame-trial
Dr. Gabe Milkin is a Villager. Read more translation:
