Metformin for aging

And old, proven and dirt cheap drug could be the answer for aging slower:

https://www.statnews.com/2022/08/09/anti-aging-projects-funding-much-discussed-trial-overlooked/

Problem is, there is no money in it for big pharma, and billionaires are looking for moon shots. But Metformin most likely works, just nobody wants to/can prove it...

 

The article does not describe mode of action. What mechanism is this targeting?

Btw, your health posts are great, keep up the good work.

edit: Looked into it's synthesis, if it weren't for the high pressure it would have been a fun mad lab experiment. I'm not a chemist, just follow interesting "recipes" from time to time.

 

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog...age-related,and improving blood vessel health.

Is metformin a wonder drug?

In addition, researchers are investigating the potential of metformin to

• Lower the risk of cancer in persons with type 2 diabetes. These include cancers of the breast, colon, and prostate.
• Lower risks for dementia and stroke. Some studies have noted less cognitive decline and a lower rate of dementia, as well as a lower rate of stroke, among people with diabetes taking metformin compared with those who were not taking it.
• Slow aging, prevent age-related disease, and increase lifespan. Preliminary studies suggest that metformin may actually slow aging and increase life expectancy by improving the body’s responsiveness to insulin, antioxidant effects, and improving blood vessel health.

 

https://www.lifeextension.com/magazine/2017/4/metformin-slashes-cancer-risks

A whopping 86% of such studies showed that metformin clearly inhibited cancer development and showed zero evidence of cancer stimulation by the drug.

An important study in a group of such people—all women with midlife weight gain but normal blood sugars—showed that taking metformin for 12 months reduced mean body weight by 11.6 pounds.37 In addition, treated subjects had significant decreases in their body fat percentage, a favorable change that can reduce many of the long-term consequences of obesity.

Finally, a 2016 study showed significant reductions in systolic (top number) blood pressure in nondiabetic people taking metformin. The largest reductions were seen in those having impaired glucose tolerance or obesity.

 

Exercise speeds up digestion, making more room in your stomach for ice cream and metformin sprinkles.

 

Sounds like metformin helps those who don't (or can't) help themselves. Type 2 diabetes increases the risks of all of the ailments mentioned that the drug is reported to reduce. It makes sense since the drug works by decreasing blood sugar levels; blood sugar levels that can increase the risk of these medical conditions in the first place. In general, diabetes ages the body more quickly. So metformin apparently works to offset that quicker aging to a more normal rate. Normal, not slower?

As for the notably benefited nondiabetic test subjects, they had impaired glucose tolerance or were obese at the outset. That suggests prediabetes. Round and round we go.

From your link:

The bottom line
Metformin is a first-line treatment for type 2 diabetes, according to current diabetes guidelines. It’s relatively inexpensive and its potential side effects are well understood.

If you have diabetes and need metformin to help lower your blood sugar, its other potential health benefits are a wonderful — not harmful — side effect. And if you don’t have diabetes? Well, its role in preventing or treating diseases, and possibly even slowing aging and extending life expectancy, is much less clear.

 

What else is part of your protocol?

 

The one on the right would be quite anti-aging, but would induce cravings, unfortunately.