Metformin for anti-aging / increasing lifespan

[dj230]

Metformin is being researched for its potential to slow aging and the diseases that come with aging. Originally a diabetic medication but they found those who took it lived significantly longer and has less diseases (heart disease, cancer, etc.) than those who didn't (were on other treatments for diabetes). After scientists looked into the mechanism of action, they believe it has the potential to reduce instances of old age diseases and increase lifespan.

 

If interested, the TAME study is the current study and it seems like it's very well organized by Nir Barzilai. Keep in mind the study isn't specifically to prove that Metformin can increase lifespan, but to prove it is possible to increase lifespan with a drug, which can open up research to other drugs being researched for increasing lifespan. 

 

Really cheap here in Thailand, 20 baht for 10 pills (500mg) at my local pharmacy and it is completely legal. If you have time it's an interesting rabbit hole to get into and you only have to understand highschool chemistry/biology for the most part to understand a lot of how it works to increase lifespan. Also comes with it's own set of risks so do your own research and decide if you're willing to take those risks for the possible benefits.

 

 

[ThailandRyan]

As a Type 2 diabetic I use Metformin, have for 15 years. Does a good job on keeping my blood sugars and A1C at pre-diabetes levels.  Would not want to take the dose I use, 1000mg once after breakfast and then the same after dinner, if a person was not a diabetic. Could cause a severe blood sugar dump. Best to consult a doctor, preferably an endocrinologist, before just popping in and buying the medication OTC. Yes it does do a great job for the heart and maybe it does do well for anti aging as all the women say I am a Hansum Man.....

[palooka]

7 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

As a Type 2 diabetic I use Metformin, have for 15 years. Does a good job on keeping my blood sugars and A1C at pre-diabetes levels.  Would not want to take the dose I use, 1000mg once after breakfast and then the same after dinner, if a person was not a diabetic. Could cause a severe blood sugar dump. Best to consult a doctor, preferably an endocrinologist, before just popping in and buying the medication OTC. Yes it does do a great job for the heart and maybe it does do well for anti aging as all the women say I am a Hansum Man.....

When did you really look into the mirror of late, I do it once a month to have a reality check.

[ThailandRyan]

They say I am a Ryan O'Neil doppelganger 

[NCC1701A]

6 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

They say I am a Ryan O'Neil doppelganger 

they say I'm Pierce Brosnan.

[NCC1701A]

interesting.

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

[King Cotton]

57 minutes ago, dj230 said:

Metformin is being researched for its potential to slow aging and the diseases that come with aging.

' . . . its potential to slow aging . . . '!  You couldn't 'post' me a few hundred pills, could you? (just joking!)

[ThailandRyan]

21 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

they say I'm Pierce Brosnan.

I thought you were, all the ladies I meet in Hua Hin ask me if I have seen the NCC Pierce Brosnan look alike.....

[dj230]

1 hour ago, ThailandRyan said:

As a Type 2 diabetic I use Metformin, have for 15 years. Does a good job on keeping my blood sugars and A1C at pre-diabetes levels.  Would not want to take the dose I use, 1000mg once after breakfast and then the same after dinner, if a person was not a diabetic. Could cause a severe blood sugar dump. Best to consult a doctor, preferably an endocrinologist, before just popping in and buying the medication OTC. Yes it does do a great job for the heart and maybe it does do well for anti aging as all the women say I am a Hansum Man.....

This is absolutely incorrect, metformin is not insulin nor does it cause the release of insulin like other diabetic medication, thus your blood sugars WILL NOT drop below normal levels. It causes the body to utilize glucose more efficiently which allows you to control blood sugars better. 

I do agree though, one should consult a physician before taking any medication. For anti-aging purposes you may want to consider consulting doctor that specializes in anti-aging though. 

I am assuming most if not all anti-aging doctors are familiar with the current research in metformin and it's ability to increase lifespan.

49 minutes ago, King Cotton said:

' . . . its potential to slow aging . . . '!  You couldn't 'post' me a few hundred pills, could you? (just joking!)

haha a few hundred pills is actually quite cheap, that being said the usual dosage is about 1000-2000mg a day so a few hundred pills only lasts a few months. 

Dr. David Sinclair, researcher of "anti-aging" at Harvard takes 1000mg, while Nir Barzilai who is conducting the TAME (metformin) study is taking 2000mg a day. Or at least they were, might have changed their doses. 

Funny story by Nir Barzilai but when he spoke to the singapore government (i think it was singapore, maybe another asian country), the government made a joke about if they could add metformin into their water supply.

It is quite cheap, 20 baht for 10 pills (500mg) at my local pharmacy, its only 240 baht for a month supply for a 2000mg/day dosage (assuming a month has 30 days).

It was always said to be a very cheap medication. 

50 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

interesting.

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

Does more than just that, there has been case studies where people with tumours had spontaneous regression (tumours dissapearing) when taking metformin.

 

Edited August 23, 2021 by dj230

[ThailandRyan]

23 minutes ago, dj230 said:

This is absolutely incorrect, metformin is not insulin nor does it cause the release of insulin like other diabetic medication, thus your blood sugars WILL NOT drop below normal levels. It causes the body to utilize glucose more efficiently which allows you to control blood sugars better. 

I do agree though, one should consult a physician before taking any medication. For anti-aging purposes you may want to consider consulting doctor that specializes in anti-aging though. 

I am assuming most if not all anti-aging doctors are familiar with the current research in metformin and it's ability to increase lifespan.

haha a few hundred pills is actually quite cheap, that being said the usual dosage is about 1000-2000mg a day so a few hundred pills only lasts a few months. 

Dr. David Sinclair, researcher of "anti-aging" at Harvard takes 1000mg, while Nir Barzilai who is conducting the TAME (metformin) study is taking 2000mg a day. Or at least they were, might have changed their doses. 

Funny story by Nir Barzilai but when he spoke to the singapore government (i think it was singapore, maybe another asian country), the government made a joke about if they could add metformin into their water supply.

It is quite cheap, 20 baht for 10 pills (500mg) at my local pharmacy, its only 240 baht for a month supply for a 2000mg/day dosage (assuming a month has 30 days).

It was always said to be a very cheap medication. 

Does more than just that, there has been case studies where people with tumours had spontaneous regression (tumours dissapearing) when taking metformin.

Please tell me were I stated it was Insulin.  You need to learn to read the post for what it is.  Metformin works in the liver and not in the pancreas.  For me it helps to drop my blood sugars unlike in some people where it may raise their blood glucose and cause them to have morning or what is called dawn syndrome highs, and therefore they take other medications such as glipizide.

https://www.diabetesselfcaring.com/how-much-does-metformin-lower-blood-sugar/

Metformin can change your blood sugar level in both the direction, it can make blood sugar level go up too high, or it can drop it extremely low, and it varies from person to person.

Edited August 23, 2021 by ThailandRyan

[dj230]

12 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

Please tell me were I stated it was Insulin.  You need to learn to read the post for what it is.  Metformin works in the liver and not in the pancreas.  For me it helps to drop my blood sugars unlike in some people where it may raise their blood glucose and cause them to have morning or what is called dawn syndrome highs, and therefore they take other medications such as glipizide.

https://www.diabetesselfcaring.com/how-much-does-metformin-lower-blood-sugar/

Metformin can change your blood sugar level in both the direction, it can make blood sugar level go up too high, or it can drop it extremely low, and it varies from person to person.

I was responding to your concern of it causing a blood sugar dump, I mis-read it thinking you meant it would cause a drop in blood sugar's, as there is no way that it could cause an increase in blood sugars (acutely or chronically). Keep in mind the bodys blood sugar level is always changing during the day and that's normal.

It works in the liver but that is only one of it's mechanisms, it's a chronic treatment for diabetes and not an acute one, which overtime causes the body to use glucose more efficiently.

There's no mechanism where it would directly cause blood sugars to rise, the information on that website is incorrect. The author doesn't have any information other than his name "Sam". 

Edited August 23, 2021 by dj230

[ThailandRyan]

24 minutes ago, dj230 said:

I was responding to your concern of it causing a blood sugar dump, I mis-read it thinking you meant it would cause a drop in blood sugar's, as there is no way that it could cause an increase in blood sugars (acutely or chronically). Keep in mind the bodys blood sugar level is always changing during the day and that's normal.

It works in the liver but that is only one of it's mechanisms, it's a chronic treatment for diabetes and not an acute one, which overtime causes the body to use glucose more efficiently.

There's no mechanism where it would directly cause blood sugars to rise, the information on that website is incorrect. The author doesn't have any information other than his name "Sam". 

I guess my dawn syndrome that I had at one point and my endocrinologist is wrong, better let you be my doctor then and prescribe my meds for me....NOT.  Try again.  I have been a diabetic Type 2 for many many years, and have learned to control it quite well with the help of my Endocrinologist as well as reading up on historical medications and treatments.

[dj230]

14 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

I guess my dawn syndrome that I had at one point and my endocrinologist is wrong, better let you be my doctor then and prescribe my meds for me....NOT.  Try again.  I have been a diabetic Type 2 for many many years, and have learned to control it quite well with the help of my Endocrinologist as well as reading up on historical medications and treatments.

"Dawn syndrome" is from having diabetes (or pre-diabeties), not from metformin. So it's not surprising that you had dawn syndrome, just not caused by metformin.

[JamesE]

I'm reading a book called "Ageless" by Andrew Steele right now and went through the metformin chapter a couple of nights ago. The thing that shows the most promise is metformin combined with quercetin, a bioflavinoid. It's been shown to increase lifespan in mice but, more importantly dramatically increases "healthspan" - the period of time before aging kicks in.

[dj230]

13 hours ago, JamesE said:

I'm reading a book called "Ageless" by Andrew Steele right now and went through the metformin chapter a couple of nights ago. The thing that shows the most promise is metformin combined with quercetin, a bioflavinoid. It's been shown to increase lifespan in mice but, more importantly dramatically increases "healthspan" - the period of time before aging kicks in.

I took Quercetin for a bit, Dr. David Sinclair said it increases the effects of Resveratrol, which I also take. From Dr. David Sinclairs research, he found that Resveratrol completely prevented arthrosclerosis in mice eating a western diet (high fat/sugar). He also found intra-abdominal fat (fat around organs) to also be prevented.

 

Unfortunately it seems it's hard to get a good quality source of Resveratrol in Thailand and it's quite expensive, so it's definitely not for everyone. Bulksupplements resveratrol was tested by consumerlabs (third party supplement review/quality testing website) to have accurate label claims and to not contain any heavy metals. 

 

Nir Barzilai, the person conducting the TAME (metformin) study has a book called "Age Later" and talks about what he believes is the main drivers of aging/disease, in case you're interested. Dr. David Sinclair has a book called "Lifespan".

Edited August 24, 2021 by dj230

[JamesE]

I'll check out those books, thanks! I've been looking at plant phenol supplements for about 10 years. I've found a few that produce noticeable effects (my concern is correcting some nerve damage) but some of the others didn't really show any of the effects that I was looking for. I think I need to revisit some of them in light of the new research.

[dj230]

1 hour ago, JamesE said:

I'll check out those books, thanks! I've been looking at plant phenol supplements for about 10 years. I've found a few that produce noticeable effects (my concern is correcting some nerve damage) but some of the others didn't really show any of the effects that I was looking for. I think I need to revisit some of them in light of the new research.

I have some nerve damage myself, peripheral, it's unfortunate, but from what I understand nerves can grow, just slowly. It's been about 2 years and I can tell a significant improvement in mine, however, I can't say it was due to any of the supplements/medications I took. Hopefully your nerve damage wasn't too severe and is reversible.