A 20-cent diabetes drug could be the key to living longer, scientists say.
A series of trials from the American Federation for Aging Research is investigating whether metformin, the world’s most common treatment for type 2 diabetes, could protect against age-related diseases such as heart disease, cancer and cognitive decline.
The team believes this could be due to the anti-inflammatory properties of the drug, which is designed to reduce the amount of glucose circulating in the blood.
At a time when biohackers are promoting thousands of dollars’ worth of anti-aging regimens, the low cost of metformin could be a more affordable way to add a few years to your life expectancy.
Metformin has been used to treat type 2 diabetes since the 1950s and costs only 20 cents per pill. Researchers are now working to see if it can lead to longer lifespans.
Researchers have launched the Targeting Aging with Metformin (TAME) trial, a six-year series of nationwide trials at 14 institutions in the United States. The lead institution will be Wake Forest University School of Medicine in North Carolina.
The team plans to recruit more than 3,000 patients ages 65 to 79 to “test whether those taking metformin experience a delay in the development or progression of age-related chronic diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, and dementia,” according to their website.
These suggested benefits are based on previous animal research, such as a 2013 study who found a better lifespan in mice.
“Studies have already shown that metformin can slow aging in animals,” the TAME researchers wrote. “It may also influence fundamental factors of aging that underlie multiple age-related conditions in humans.”
The team said metformin is the focus because of its low cost, which is about $1 a day with insurance. The goal is to get the FDA to approve metformin for aging, “to indicate that aging can be ‘treated.'”
Dr. Steven Austad, senior scientific advisor at the American Federation for Aging Research, said NPR: “I don’t know if metformin increases people’s life expectancy, but the evidence that exists suggests that it very well could.”
Metformin was first used to treat type 2 diabetes in the 1950s in France and was approved by the FDA for this condition in the United States in the 1990s. Overall, it is so effective and affordable that the World Health Organization Health considers it an “essential” medicine for pharmacies around the world.
Recent studies have since pointed to a number of other benefits, including weight loss and a reduced risk of long Covid.
The mechanism by which metformin causes weight loss is unclear, but doctors have several theories.
Because it reduces the amount of glucose circulating in the blood, it can decrease the amount of excess glucose that is stored as fat.
It has also been shown to reduce hunger signals, which could suppress appetite and therefore lead to weight loss.
Reduces plasma glucose and has been shown to increase glucagon-like peptide 1 levels (GLP-1).
GLP-1 affects areas of the brain that regulate appetite and reward. A weaker appetite often translates into lower caloric intake, which can lead to weight loss. GLP-1 is also believed to increase the body’s capacity. leptin sensitivitya hormone produced by fat cells that plays a role in regulating body weight.
A January meta-analysis in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute also found that the drug reduced the risk of several cancers, including colon, bladder and blood cancers.
In terms of humans and aging, a British study found a lower risk of dementia and mild cognitive impairment in type 2 diabetics taking metformin, although Dr. Austad cautions that much of the evidence is observational, and the TAME trial will seek to discover Exactly how Metformin can decrease age-related diseases.
Researchers are currently raising money to fund the TAME trial.