A 20-cent diabetes drug could be the key to living longer, scientists say.
A series of trials by the American Federation for Research on Aging will investigate whether metformin, the world’s most common treatment for type 2 diabetes, can prevent age-related diseases such as heart disease, cancer and cognitive decline. has been done.
The research team believes this may be due to the drug’s anti-inflammatory properties, which are designed to reduce the amount of glucose circulating in the blood.
At a time when biohackers are touting anti-aging methods worth thousands of dollars, metformin’s low cost could become a more accessible way to add years to your life.
Metformin has been used to treat type 2 diabetes since the 1950s and costs just 20 cents per pill.Researchers are currently studying it to see if it leads to longer lifespans
Researchers have begun the Targeted Aging with Metformin (TAME) trial, a six-year nationwide series of trials at 14 sites across the United States. The lead institution will be Wake Forest University School of Medicine in North Carolina.
According to the team’s website, the research team will “examine whether patients taking metformin experience a slower onset or progression of age-related chronic diseases (such as heart disease, cancer, and dementia). The company plans to recruit more than 3,000 patients between the ages of 65 and 79.
These suggested benefits build on previous research on animals, including a 2013 study that found improved lifespan in mice.
“Studies have already shown that metformin can slow aging in animals,” TAME researchers wrote. “It may also impact the fundamental aging factors that underlie multiple human age-related symptoms.”
According to the research team, metformin is attracting attention because of its low cost, which is covered by insurance at about $1 a day. The goal is to get the FDA to approve metformin for aging “to show that aging can be ‘cured.'”
“We don’t know whether metformin extends people’s lives, but the evidence that exists suggests that it is very likely,” Dr. Steven Austad, senior scientific advisor at the American Federation for Research on Aging, told NPR. “There is,” he said.
Metformin was first used to treat type 2 diabetes in France in the 1950s and was approved by the FDA to treat the disease in the United States in the 1990s. In general, it is so effective and affordable that the World Health Organization considers it an “essential” drug for pharmacies around the world.
Since then, recent studies have pointed to a number of other benefits, including weight loss and reduced risk of long-term illness from COVID-19.
The mechanism by which metformin causes weight loss is unknown, but doctors have several theories.
Because the amount of glucose circulating in the blood is reduced, the amount of excess glucose stored as fat may be reduced.
It has also been shown to suppress hunger, which can suppress appetite and lead to weight loss.
It has been shown to decrease plasma glucose and increase levels of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1).
GLP-1 affects areas of the brain that regulate appetite and reward. A decreased appetite often reduces calorie intake, which can lead to weight loss. GLP-1 is also thought to increase the body’s sensitivity to leptin, a hormone produced by fat cells that plays a role in regulating body weight.
A January meta-analysis published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute also found that the drug lowers the risk of several cancers, including colon, bladder, and blood cancers.
Regarding humans and aging, a British study found that people with type 2 diabetes who took metformin had a lower risk of dementia and milder cognitive decline, but Dr. Austad said the evidence It cautions that much of it is observational and the TAME trial will examine exactly what effect it has. Metformin can reduce age-related diseases.
Researchers are currently raising money to fund the TAME trial.
