An anti-aging elixir may have been under the noses of experts for more than 70 years and is already being taken by 80 million Americans.
Scientists have discovered that a cheap and common diabetes drug used since the 1950s can rejuvenate monkeys, in what could be a major breakthrough for longevity research.
Scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Beijing Institute of Genomics have found that metformin, a pill used to lower blood sugar in diabetics, “significantly” slowed aging in monkeys.
It reduced brain deterioration and improved cognitive abilities while slowing bone loss and helping “rejuvenate” various tissues and organs.
The researchers said all the findings led to the conclusion that “metformin can reduce biological age indicators” by up to six years and the drug could pave the way to reversing aging in humans.
Metformin is a prescription pill used to control high blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes.
The results represent a potential breakthrough, as previous research on this topic had only been conducted in mice, but the monkeys used in the study (Cynomolgus monkeys or crab-eating macaques) are physiologically and functionally similar to humans.
This often makes them “excellent models for studies on aging.”
Biohackers and longevity researchers have hailed metformin as a “wonder drug,” and the possibility of the drug working as an aging-reversing agent has caught the attention of scientists and laymen around the world.
In the 40-month study published earlier this month, the monkeys were between 13 and 16 years old — the equivalent of 40 to 50 human years, based on the rate of aging and life expectancy of both species.
The researchers administered the standard human dose of the drug daily: 40 mg per 2.5 kg of body weight. Typical daily doses range from 500 mg to 2,550 mg.
The team conducted extensive testing on the monkeys every three months during the study, including imaging, blood tests and physical examinations, as well as tissue and cell analysis.
The animals were also given a cognitive test that assesses memory and learning skills.
The team used these measurements to establish “innovative monkey aging clocks” to measure the effect metformin had on their biological age.
The monkeys were observed for almost 3.5 years, the equivalent of 10 human years.
The results showed “a significant slowing of aging markers,” including improved cognition and a six-year regression in brain aging, the equivalent of 18 human years.
Monkeys given metformin performed better on memory tasks and showed superior learning abilities compared to primates that did not receive the drug.
The study also showed improvements in the liver, heart, lungs, intestines and muscle tissue.
The researchers said: “Our research pioneers the systemic reduction of multidimensional biological age in primates through metformin, paving the way for the advancement of pharmaceutical strategies against human aging.”
The most significant improvements were seen in the liver and the frontal lobe, the part of the brain responsible for language, reasoning, problem solving, memory, movement and personality.
MRI scans showed that the frontal lobe maintained its thickness, indicating that it did not suffer age-related decline. Some parts of the brain even increased in thickness, which could indicate improved cognition.
Further examinations showed increased thickness in the primates’ frontal cortex, an area that normally thins in monkeys as they age.
He studyPublished in the journal Cell, it concluded that the combination of superior performance on memory and learning challenges and magnetic resonance imaging “suggests that metformin might postpone brain decline associated with aging.”
Although one monkey developed kidney damage, no significant side effects were seen at the end of the study in test results that analyzed 68 biological factors, indicating that metformin has a high safety profile.
The researchers used cynomolgus monkeys, or crab-eating macaques, because the primates are physiologically similar to humans, making them “excellent models for studies on aging.”
Metformin, sold under several brand names including Fortament, Glucophage, and Riomet, is used to control high blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes.
It can be taken in pill or liquid form and must be prescribed by a doctor. It was approved by the FDA in 1995 and is the most commonly prescribed medication for people with diabetes.
However, the researchers said metformin’s protective effect against aging may be entirely independent of its effect on blood sugar, as it acts directly on neurons.
Monkeys taking metformin showed minimal changes in their blood sugar levels.
The drug activates a gene linked to stress, inflammation, metabolism and maintaining homeostasis, the body’s ability to self-regulate to maintain balance and function properly.
The researchers said: “(The study) represents a major advance in the quest to slow human aging, with geriatric medicine research gradually shifting its focus from treating individual chronic diseases to systemic anti-aging intervention.”
The discovery could be a major breakthrough at a time when the United States’ elderly and aging population is increasing, as are age-related diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
Although an estimated 6.9 million Americans currently suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, that number is expected to nearly double to 13 million by 2050.
The team added: “The observed reversal of aging biomarkers in primates indicates the feasibility of targeting central mechanisms of aging in organs, offering a strategy to improve chronic conditions and prevent age-related diseases.”
However, the researchers noted that limitations of the study were that they did not follow the monkeys after they stopped taking the drug and did not examine the monkeys’ mortality.