The Dark Side Of Metformin: A “longevity Wonder Drug” That Promises To Extend Life For A Nickel A Pop.
The modern supplement market is chock full of miracle pills, wonder potions, and injections that will “make you look and feel 10 years younger”. And the advertisements can be alluring – as far back as human memory can reach, long-lasting youthfulness has infatuated scientists, witch doctors, explorers and average Joes alike. Just look at the number of legends surrounding the fabled Fountain of Youth. And even though the age of intrepid explorers and rogue buccaneers searching for those aforementioned waters of life has passed, the obsession with the underlying idea of immortality remains (this intriguing immortality section of Vice is a perfect example). After all, who doesn’t want to live longer and enjoy lasting health? Unfortunately, for the entire race of man, a seemingly unending list of bacteria, viruses, neurological disorders, and fatal conditions assail the human body day in and day out. Of late, as I become increasingly disenchanted with the often unhealthy pursuit of a six pack-abs, mutant lungs and ripped biceps, I’ve instead turned myself into a student of anti-aging and longevity tactics that can actually help to stave off these assailants and allow you to live longer and feel really good doing it…tactics that include: -Basic strategies outlined in books such as Blue Zones by Dan Buettner, including high wild plant intake, avoidance of packaged foods, calorie restriction, social support, family, gratitude (my own recent obsession) and relationships. -Intermittent fasting, cyclic ketogenesis, protein-sparing modified fasts, and other forms of caloric and selective macronutrient restriction like I discuss here. -Strategic use of “hormetic” stressors, including hyperoxygenation, wild plant and herb consumption, pulsing molecular hydrogen, beta Continue reading >>
Will Metformin Become The First Anti-aging Drug?
A committed group of scientists is seeking to validate metformin as the first-ever anti-aging medication.1,2 In this day of staggering drug prices, metformin is available as a low-cost generic. One mechanism by which metformin works is by activating AMPK, an enzyme inside cells that lowers blood sugar by promoting energy utilization. Activating AMPK has broad-ranging effects that extend far beyond blood sugar control. Studies show that boosting AMPK activity can prevent—and even reverse—the life-shortening effects of aging, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, and more.3 In this article, we’ll review data that persuaded the FDA to allow metformin to be studied in humans as the first anti-aging drug.1 Broad-Spectrum Effects The most commonly prescribed antidiabetic drug is metformin. It has been in use in England since 1958 and in the United States since 1995. Derived from a compound found in the French Lilac, metformin has a track record of safety and effectiveness at routine doses of up to 2,000 mg daily.4-7 So what evidence is there for the FDA to consider this drug as an anti-aging medication? The reason is simple: Metformin can block or diminish many of the fundamental factors that accelerate aging.8-12 These include protecting against DNA damage glycation, poor mitochondrial function, and chronic inflammation. Metformin has been shown to facilitate DNA repair, which is critical for cancer prevention. By attacking these fundamental degenerative processes, metformin can prevent the development of aging’s most troubling diseases. Metformin has also been shown to increase the production of known longevity-promoting signaling molecules in cells, such as mTOR and AMPK—all of which reduce fat and sugar storage and increas Continue reading >>
Metformin For Protection Against Alzheimer's, Cancer And Heart Disease?
With commentary by Nir Barzilai, MD, director of the Institute for Aging Research, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and Brian Kennedy, PhD, president and CEO of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging. Metformin may influence fundamental aging factors that underlie many age-related conditions, including cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer's, says Nir Barzilai, MD, director of the Institute for Aging Research at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, the Bronx. "Metformin is generic, and it's cheap," Dr. Barzilai says. And accumulating data suggests that ''it interferes with the biology of aging." Aging, he says, is a primary risk factor for not only diabetes but also most of our big killers, such as Alzheimer's, heart disease and cancer. In animal and human studies, metformin has shown promise in slowing the aging process and halting diseases. To study the potential of metformin further, Dr. Barzilai plans to launch a large-scale study, Targeting Aging with METformin (TAME), to look at the effects of metformin compared to placebo. His team has already completed the MILES study, Metformin in Longevity, and are analyzing the results. In that study, they gave some participants metformin, at 1,700 milligrams a day, and others placebo. The aim was to see if the metformin could restore the gene expression profile of an older person with blood sugar problems known as impaired glucose tolerance (but not yet diabetic), to that of a younger person. Dr. Barzilai knows he has critics of his approach. He brushed them off, saying the people who don't see the value of the research ''don't understand the biology of aging and that it can be changed." He doesn't see the research as testing an anti-aging drug. "Aging is not a disease and we don't want it to be a disease," he says. Howe Continue reading >>
Could A Pill Put The Brakes On Aging?
March 29, 2017 -- The No. 1 risk factor for all the big diseases -- cancer , heart disease , Alzheimer’s -- is aging. But instead of treating the diseases, could a drug treat the aging process itself? That’s the idea behind a growing area of research drawing extensive support from both government and private donors, including millions from Silicon Valley executives like Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and venture capitalist Peter Thiel. While federal science agency budgets have struggled in the past decade, funding at the National Institute on Aging has risen more than 50% since 2007. Researchers are seeking a drug to push back the most serious consequences of aging -- and keep people healthy, active, and alert years longer, a notion they call “health span.” “I’m not interested in creating a population that lives to be 200, because that would be a problem for the world we live in,” says Corinna Ross, PhD, a biologist at Texas A&M University in San Antonio. “But if we can keep people out of nursing home care and reduce the number of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s patients, that would be ideal.” What scientists know about aging has advanced sharply in the past 2 decades as they learn more about what drives the aging process within cells. With the race on to find an anti-aging pill, two of the most promising ones are drugs that already exist: metformin and rapamycin. Doctors have prescribed metformin, the most common drug to treat type 2 diabetes , for about 60 years. But it’s received new attention as a possible anti-aging drug after researchers in Britain found that people with diabetes who took it outlived some of their peers who did not have the disease by 15%. “They compared them to a whole bunch of people who were matched for weight and smokin Continue reading >>
Forget The Blood Of Teens. This Pill Promises To Extend Life For A Nickel A Pop
Nir Barzilai has a plan. It’s a really big plan that might one day change medicine and health care as we know it. Its promise: extending our years of healthy, disease-free living by decades. And Barzilai knows about the science of aging. He is, after all, the director of the Institute for Aging Research at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx. And, as such, he usually talks about his plan with the caution of a seasoned researcher. Usually. Truth is, Barzilai is known among his colleagues for his excitability—one author says he could pass as the older brother of Austin Powers—and sometimes he can’t help himself. Like the time he referred to his plan—which, among other things, would demonstrate that human aging can be slowed with a cheap pill—as “history-making.” In 2015, he stood outside of the offices of the Food and Drug Administration, flanked by a number of distinguished researchers on aging, and likened the plan to a journey to “the promised land.” Last spring, Barzilai traveled to the Vatican to discuss the plan at a conference on cellular therapies. It was the second time he’d been invited to the conference, which is a pretty big deal in the medical world. At the last one, in 2013, he appeared alongside a dwarf from Ecuador, a member of a community of dwarfs whose near immunity to diabetes and cancer has attracted the keen interest of researchers. The 2016 conference featured a number of the world’s top cancer scientists and included addresses from Pope Francis and Joe Biden. That Barzilai was invited was a sign not only of his prominence in his field but also of how far aging research, once relegated to the periphery of mainstream science, has come in recent years. That progress has been spurred by huge investments from Sil Continue reading >>
A Diabetes Medication That Costs 6 Cents A Pill Could Be A Key To Living Longer
American Federation for Aging Research Deputy Scientific Director Nir Barzilai, MD, discusses the promise of the FDA-approved drug Metformin to delay multiple age-related conditions at a 2016 event. AP A generic drug that's used to treat type 2 diabetes could help people live longer, healthier lives. Metformin, a drug that's been approved in the US for decades, is typically taken as a pill every day by people with diabetes. But now researchers are looking into whether the drug could hold the key to living longer — and early research seems promising. Dr. Nir Barzilai, the director of Institute for Aging Research at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, has been researching the drug, with the hopes of one day getting it approved as an anti-aging treatment by the FDA. If future research yields good results, metformin could become a much cheaper option than other approaches biotech companies are taking to help us live healthier, longer lives. A potential anti-aging drug that's been around for ages Metformin has been around in one form or another for centuries — Wired reports that it's actually a modified version of a compound found in the flower Galega officinalis, which you may know as French lilac. It was approved by the FDA for diabetes treatment of type 2 diabetes in 1994 (not type 1, which is the result of an autoimmune disorder) though it was available in other countries before then. Today, metformin one of the most popular prescriptions in the US, according to GoodRx. The drug can cost as little as $4, or 6 cents a pill. Since metformin was approved for diabetes, it has started to be used off-label to treat conditions like pre-diabetes, gestational diabetes, and polycystic ovarian disease. Some retrospective studies and preclinical work have indica Continue reading >>
Why A Drug For Aging Would Challenge Washington
Why a drug for aging would challenge Washington It sounds like a dream, until you try to navigate the regulations—and the cost. What if you could live to 85, 90 or even 100 with your mental faculties intact, able to live independently without debilitating conditions until the last year of your life? What if just one medical treatment could stave off a handful of terrifying ailments like heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer’s? The idea of a pill for aging sounds like science fiction or fantasy. But the hunt is increasingly real. At the cutting edge of research, scientists and doctors are already deep into the quest for a drug that could transform the experience of aging. The goal isn’t a pharmaceutical fountain of youth, exactly; nobody is promising to stretch human lifespans indefinitely. Instead, they're looking for a way to ensure healthier aging—a drug that could make it more likely people reach their eighth or ninth decade of life with fewer of the ailments that make old age painful and disabling for millions, and cripplingly expensive for the health care system. The leading approach even has a name: senolytic drugs. The science is still far from proven; it may turn out that like many new ideas, these drugs never show up in American medicine cabinets at all. But the prospect of a drug for healthier aging has already attracted significant investment from well-known drug companies, and the first human studies of anti-aging drugs are getting underway. If the results pan out, the first drugs could be available in as little as a decade. As the research moves forward, however, it is raising a series of new questions that both medicine and regulators will need to confront. And the most complex questions arise around exactly the issue that makes the field so excitin Continue reading >>
Health Benefits Of Late-onset Metformin Treatment Every Other Week In Mice
Health benefits of late-onset metformin treatment every other week in mice 1Experimental Gerontology Section, Translational Gerontology Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, 251 Bayview Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21224 USA 1Experimental Gerontology Section, Translational Gerontology Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, 251 Bayview Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21224 USA 1Experimental Gerontology Section, Translational Gerontology Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, 251 Bayview Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21224 USA 1Experimental Gerontology Section, Translational Gerontology Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, 251 Bayview Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21224 USA 1Experimental Gerontology Section, Translational Gerontology Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, 251 Bayview Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21224 USA 3Diagnostic & Research Services Branch, Division of Veterinary Resources, Office of Research Services, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-2324 USA 2Centre for Education and Research on Ageing, ANZAC Research Institute, Sydney, NSW Australia 5Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW Australia 2Centre for Education and Research on Ageing, ANZAC Research Institute, Sydney, NSW Australia 5Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW Australia 1Experimental Gerontology Section, Translational Gerontology Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, 251 Bayview Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21224 USA 1Experim Continue reading >>
Metformin Reduces All Cause Mortality And May Extend Lifespan
Metformin reduces all cause mortality and may extend lifespan There is a community of self-experimenters who are taking the drug Metformin, not because they are diabetic or prediabetic, the FDA-approved reasons for prescribing the drug, but rather because they believe it probably has an impact in promoting general health and retarding aging( ref ). In fact, it is probably the pharmaceutical most used for this purpose. The purpose of this blog entry is to discuss Metformin as it has been shown to reduce all cause mortality in various studies, and discuss its understood mechanisms of operation. This blog entry is Part 2 of interventions that reduce all cause mortality. The first blog entry in this series, which was also Part 4 of the inflammation series. Was concerned with PCSK9 inhibition. Metformin is a traditional and inexpensive drug that is the first line of treatment for people with Type 2 Diabetes or prediabetic conditions. It is a drug that has been extensively studied, both with respect to the impacts of using it and as to the molecular mechanisms of its operations. Image source Metformin originates from the French lilac or goats rue (Galega officinalis), a plant used in folk medicine for several centuries. [114] Metformin has been used for over 40 years as an effective glucose-lowering agent in type 2 DM. Typically it reduces both basal and post-prandial hyperglycaemia by about 25-30% on over 90% of type 2 DM patients when given either alone or in combination with other therapies ( ref ) Clinical trials.gov lists 1989 clinical trials mentioning Metformin but only three clinical trials mentioning Metformin and longevity. All three of these are placebo controlled. One is called the Metformin in Longevity Study (MILES)sponsored by the Albert Einstein College of Me Continue reading >>
Study Shows Type 2 Diabetics On Metformin Can Live Longer Than People Without The Disease
Study shows type 2 diabetics on metformin can live longer than people without the disease Home Study shows type 2 diabetics on metformin can live longer than people without the disease Patients treated with a drug widely prescribed for type 2 diabetes can live longer than people without the condition, a large-scale study involving over 180,000 people has shown. The findings indicate that a drug known as metformin , used to control glucose levels in the body and already known to exhibit anticancer properties, could offer prognostic and prophylactic benefits to people without diabetes . Published in a leading diabetes journal,Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolismby scientists from Cardiff University, the study set out to compare the survival of diabetes patients prescribed with metformin with patients prescribed with another common diabetes drug called sulphonylurea. Importantly, the life expectancy of these cohorts was also compared against non-diabetics who were matched based on criteria that included age, gender, same general practice, smoking status and clinical status. "What we found was illuminating," said lead author Professor Craig Currie from Cardiff University's School of Medicine. "Patients treated with metformin had a small but statistically significant improvement in survival compared with the cohort of non-diabetics, whereas those treated with sulphonylureas had a consistently reduced survival compared with non-diabetic patients. This was true even without any clever statistical manipulation. "Surprisingly, the findings indicate that this cheap and widely prescribed diabetic drug may have beneficial effects not only on patients with diabetes but also for people without, and interestingly, people with type 1 diabetes. Metformin has been shown to have anti-cancer Continue reading >>
Metformin, A Breakthrough In Life Extension Research
As we already covered before, 2016 shows a lot of promise to be a great year for life extension research. One of the most interesting studies planned for this year is the TAME trial[1] (Targeting Aging with Metformin), a study that will test the use of aforementioned compound as a longevity drug in older adults who have cancer, heart disease, or cognitive impairment (or are at risk for these diseases). What is it, exactly? Metformin, also known as Glucophage ®, is an anti-diabetic drug that works by suppressing glucose production in the liver. Unlike the majority of diabetes drugs, however, it does not cause hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), even when given to non-diabetics. Metformin is a drug of the biguanide class. As such, it resembles the compounds guanidine and galegine, found in the Galega officinalis plant (aka goat’s rue). Goat’s rue was known to have anti-diabetic activity since ancient times, but it proved too toxic to use. The beginning of the history of metformin, however, has almost nothing to do with type 2 diabetes, but with an even worse disease: malaria. Malaria is a disease caused by a parasitic microorganism of the Plasmodium species. The typical treatment for malaria before the advent of synthetic drugs was quinine, an alkaloid extracted from the bark of the South American tree Cinchona officinalis. Quinine was expensive, and some parasites became resistant to it. Furthermore, the drug was imported from Java and the supply was unpredictable. In the 1930s, researchers began to discover and synthesize alternatives to quinine. A chemist named Francis H. S. Curd started investigating pyrimidine analogs at the ICI laboratories at Blackley, Manchester, after he noticed that some drugs with mild antimalarial activity had a pyrimidine ring in their struc Continue reading >>
Metformin And Longevity (metal): A Window Of Opportunity Study Investigating The Biological Effects Of Metformin In Localised Prostate Cancer
Metformin and longevity (METAL): a window of opportunity study investigating the biological effects of metformin in localised prostate cancer We are experimenting with display styles that make it easier to read articles in PMC. The ePub format uses eBook readers, which have several "ease of reading" features already built in. The ePub format is best viewed in the iBooks reader. You may notice problems with the display of certain parts of an article in other eReaders. Generating an ePub file may take a long time, please be patient. Metformin and longevity (METAL): a window of opportunity study investigating the biological effects of metformin in localised prostate cancer Danielle Crawley, Ashish Chandra, [...], and Mieke Van Hemelrijck Metformin is a biguanide oral hypoglycaemic agent commonly used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. In addition to its anti-diabetic effect, metformin has also been associated with a reduced risk of cancer incidence of a number of solid tumours, including prostate cancer (PCa). However, the underlying biological mechanisms for these observations have not been fully characterised in PCa. One hypothesis is that the indirect insulin lowering effect may have an anti-neoplastic action as elevated insulin and insulin like growth factor1 (IGF-1) levels play a role in PCa development and progression. In addition, metformin is a potent activator of activated protein kinase (AMPK) which in turn inhibits the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and other signal transduction mechanisms. These direct effects can lead to reduced cell proliferation. Given its wide availability and tolerable side effect profile, metformin represents an attractive potential therapeutic option for men with PCa. Hence, the need for a clinical trial investigating Continue reading >>
Fda Metformin Longevity Study
Well, I think this looks like old news, but I'm mentioning it because Good Morning America announced it like it happened today. It's "forecast for 2018" and "the new aspirin for the 21st century." I found this excerpt from Life Extension Magazine, March 2016: Dr. Robert Temple, deputy director at the FDA: Their hope is that a wide variety of age-related problems, loss of muscle tone, dizziness, falls, dementia, loss of eyesight, all of those things (sic). That would be something never done before. If you really are doing something to alter aging, the population of interest is everybody. It surely would be revolutionary if they can bring it off. This publication discusses a study that just wrapped up December 2017: Metformin to Augment Strength Training Effective Response in Seniors (MASTERS): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial That's as far as I'm going to look into it. If anyone wants to add anything, please do. I have been on the max of metformin for almost 11 years and I have lost muscle despite tons of exercise and weight training. Metformin is good at stopping the liver from dumping glucose but I am not sure about some of the other uses. 115 pounds, Breast Cancer dx'd 6/16, 6 months of chemo and 6 weeks of radiation 2000 metformin ER, 100 mg Januvia,Glimperide, Prolia, Gabapentin, Meloxicam, Probiotic with a Prebiotic, , Lisinopril, B-12, B-6, Tumeric, Magnesium, Calcium, Vit D, and Occuvite mostly vegan diet, low fat and around 125 carbs a day, walk 5-6 miles every other day and 1 hour of yoga and light weights. Well, I think this looks like old news, but I'm mentioning it because Good Morning America announced it like it happened today. It's "forecast for 2018" and "the new aspirin for the 21st century." I found this excerpt from Life Extension Mag Continue reading >>
- Early Glycemic Control and Magnitude of HbA1c Reduction Predict Cardiovascular Events and Mortality: Population-Based Cohort Study of 24,752 Metformin Initiators
- NZ case study; A citizen scientist controls autoimmune diabetes without insulin, with a low carb diet, a glucose meter, and metformin.
- Abbott wins FDA approval for diabetes device that doesn't require routine finger pricks
Diabetic Drug 'slows Aging Process And Increases Lifespan,' Study Suggests
Metformin is a drug commonly used to treat type 2 diabetes. But new research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) finds the medication may also slow the aging process and increase lifespan. Metformin belongs to a class of drugs known as biguanides. For patients with type 2 diabetes, it helps control blood sugar by reducing the amount of glucose absorbed from food and the levels of glucose produced by the liver. It also increases the body's natural response to insulin. But studies have suggested that the health benefits of metformin may reach further than type 2 diabetes. In 2010, Medical News Today reported on two studies that suggested metformin may protect against lung cancer in smokers. A 2012 study also found that the drug may show promise in treating patients with pancreatic cancer. Now, a research team led by Wouter De Haes of the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KU Leuven) in Belgium finds that metformin may be useful for halting the aging process. Testing metformin in roundworms To reach their findings, the team conducted a series of experiments in the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans - a model they say is ideal for studying the aging process as it only has a 3-week lifespan. The team found that metformin increased the number of toxic molecules released in the worms' cells, which they were surprised to find boosted their long-term strength and longevity. "As they age, the worms get smaller, wrinkle up and become less mobile. But worms treated with metformin show very limited size loss and no wrinkling. They not only age slower, but they also stay healthier longer," says Haes. But how does metformin work? The team explains that our body's cells get their energy from mitochondria - the "powerhouses" in each cell that trigger small Continue reading >>
- Metformin diabetes drug could extend lifespan
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Metformin, Anti-aging Drug, Fda Study, Clinical Trial, Costa Rica Anti-aging Clinic
Home / Uncategorized / Metformin. The anti aging drug The future is taking our current understanding of biology and applying it to humans. Years ago, aging was a biological mystery, now we are starting to understand what is going on. At the Anti-Aging and Wellness Clinic in Costa Rica, we believe in the anti-aging benefits of metformin and we have been recommending this drug to our patients for many years. It is very exciting for us to know that the application of metformin as an anti-aging drug is being evaluated in clinical trials. This article reviews the latest news about the benefits of this treatment. Scientists think the best candidate for an anti-ageing drug is metformin (a drug widely used to treat diabetes for over 40 years). Metformin has been proven to delay aging in animals. Studies point to the likelihood that metformin may influence fundamental aging factors in humans. The FDA has approved a study that will determine if metformin can do more than lower blood sugar. The study will evaluate metformins ability to slow aging. This is the first ever anti-aging study approved by the FDA. Its revolutionary. If Metformin slows down aging then it slows down all the diseases and pathology of aging as well. The question is how will metformin slow this process? Lets take a look at some interesting properties of this drug: Metformin improves glycemic control by decreasing hepatic glucose production, decreasing glucose absorption and increasing insulin-mediated glucose uptake. Also, metformin induces weight loss and is the drug of choice for obese patients. Metformin increases the number of muscle and fat cell insulin receptors and increases the attraction for the receptor. It decreases total cholesterol and low-density cholesterol (considered to be a bad cholesterol) Continue reading >>
