# Diabetes drug may slow aging **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 6, 2023, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diabetes-drug-may-slow-aging/983647 "2023-05-06T00:22:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2023, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diabetes-drug-may-slow-aging/983647/1 "2023-05-06T00:22:53Z")
> **[One of the cheapest diabetes drugs on the market can also slow aging and...](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/one-cheapest-diabetes-drugs-market-165450794.html)** > > Metformin costs pennies a day, is safe, and has been scientifically shown to impact age-related biological changes. > Many[studies show](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35401820/) that metformin targets these age-related cell changes. The result: Not only does it help control type 2 diabetes, but over time, people with diabetes taking the drug had lower death rates, better health, and longer lives[compared with](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6779524/) both diabetic and non-diabetics not taking metformin. > > Metformin also has[anti-inflammatory effects](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34463292/), which may contribute to its ability to slow aging. Since chronic inflammation is one hallmark of aging and age-related diseases, reducing inflammation can improve health and life span. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2023, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diabetes-drug-may-slow-aging/983647/2 "2023-05-06T00:39:49Z")
Yaay! I’m gonna live forever! Just like Irene Cara. Oh, wait. Damn. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2023, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diabetes-drug-may-slow-aging/983647/3 "2023-05-06T00:51:21Z")
Meh. Ozempic has that uber-catchy theme song. Imma’ hold out for that one. Longevity is overrated anyway 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2023, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diabetes-drug-may-slow-aging/983647/4 "2023-05-06T01:03:22Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Yaay! I’m gonna live forever! Just like Irene Cara. Oh, wait. Damn. [Be careful what you wish for.](https://biblioklept.org/2015/03/03/read-kurt-vonneguts-early-short-story-tomorrow-and-tomorrow-and-tomorrow/) Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2023, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diabetes-drug-may-slow-aging/983647/5 "2023-05-06T01:08:56Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Yaay! I’m gonna live forever! Or die trying! ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2023, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diabetes-drug-may-slow-aging/983647/6 "2023-05-06T01:42:37Z")
Well, I’ve been on Metformin for nearly 3 decades, so it’s probably why I’m still around. Yay. Works good for me, too. I must have written a few thousand prescriptions for my patients for it too. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2023, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diabetes-drug-may-slow-aging/983647/7 "2023-05-06T02:26:15Z")
The problem with these claims, and there are several other drugs and chemicals with reported similar benefits in animals - done by respected people - is that longevity studies in people take decades and cost a fortune if done properly. It’s certainly fascinating. I hope some of them are found to be very effective. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2023, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diabetes-drug-may-slow-aging/983647/8 "2023-05-06T02:43:56Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Yaay! I’m gonna live forever! Well you’ve already learned how to fly. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2023, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diabetes-drug-may-slow-aging/983647/9 "2023-05-06T02:58:38Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > The problem with these claims, and there are several other drugs and chemicals with reported similar benefits in animals - done by respected people - is that longevity studies in people take decades and cost a fortune if done properly. It’s certainly fascinating. I hope some of them are found to be very effective. Meanwhile there is intervention that is proven to have significant impact on both longevity and healthspan, on diseases of aging in general: Consuming a healthy diet (multiple options out there but most know the general patterns); and Exercise including aerobic and modest amounts of strength training. We KNOW that even modest doses of the above have significant impacts, and that they are in typical doses of very low risk. When I last read up on Metformin and its potential impact on diseases of aging, it seemed to me that it was unlikely to be additive to benefits accrued by those habits and was unlikely to be superior to benefits accrued by those habits. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2023, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diabetes-drug-may-slow-aging/983647/10 "2023-05-06T03:02:04Z")
Sugar is pretty destructive, so it should come as no surprise the metformin would slow aging. Now, if we only had something to mitigate the damage caused by that highly corrosive O2 stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2023, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diabetes-drug-may-slow-aging/983647/11 "2023-05-06T03:04:10Z")
Sure. Eating and exercising wisely has known widespread benefits. The idea that aging can be addressed in itself is interesting, even through modalities such as drugs or a better understanding of nutrition and physiology. Enough compelling research has been done to be worth doing more, despite historical claims often amounting to quackery. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2023, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diabetes-drug-may-slow-aging/983647/12 "2023-05-06T03:04:12Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Sugar is pretty destructive, so it should come as no surprise the metformin would slow aging. Just to be clear, in case this isn’t just whooshing, the putative impact is suggested to be by mechanisms other than glucose regulation. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2023, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diabetes-drug-may-slow-aging/983647/13 "2023-05-06T03:09:03Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Yaay! I’m gonna live forever! So far, so good. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2023, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diabetes-drug-may-slow-aging/983647/14 "2023-05-06T03:11:03Z")
The body is wonderfully adaptive to a wide variety of evolutionary and environmental conditions. To be clear, sugars are very useful at certain times and in reasonable quantities. Fruit remains a very healthful food in quantities one would realistically consume. I enjoyed reading _The Case Against Sugar_ without quite accepting quite all of its arguments. Table sugar (sucrose) and most corn syrups contain roughly equal mixes of fructose and glucose (within 5%), and large quantities of fructose may be hard on liver metabolism. (A lot more table sugar and corn syrup than fruit is consumed by many people). Some have difficulty digesting lactose. The trope “all sugars are bad” is as silly as “all fats are bad” or, to a lesser degree, “all protein is wonderful”. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2023, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diabetes-drug-may-slow-aging/983647/15 "2023-05-06T03:12:38Z")
Metformin messes your stomach up for a good while when you start to take it, and they are huge horse pills. I take 4 of em a day. Ya just gotta be strong and have a will to survive to take it in the first place 😏 ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2023, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diabetes-drug-may-slow-aging/983647/16 "2023-05-06T03:15:52Z")
You should also get a doctor to verify you should be taking it. Not everyone should. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2023, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diabetes-drug-may-slow-aging/983647/17 "2023-05-06T03:20:36Z")
Although it’s been decades since I saw _Fame_, I never quite understood what all the fuss was about. Though people say it aged fairly well… ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2023, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diabetes-drug-may-slow-aging/983647/18 "2023-05-06T03:59:53Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > The idea that aging can be addressed in itself is interesting, even through modalities such as drugs or a better understanding of nutrition and physiology. Enough compelling research has been done to be worth doing more, despite historical claims often amounting to quackery. Compelling research has been done on the anti-aging impacts of so-called Blue Zone diets and of exercise, especially aerobic, and also strength training in modest doses. The point though is the possibility that Metformin may give some benefit but also interfere with obtaining benefits … > **[Metformin inhibits mitochondrial adaptations to aerobic exercise training in...](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6351883/)** > > Metformin and exercise independently improve insulin sensitivity and decrease the risk of diabetes. Metformin was also recently proposed as a potential therapy to slow aging. However, recent evidence indicates that adding metformin to exercise... ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2023, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diabetes-drug-may-slow-aging/983647/19 "2023-05-06T04:06:58Z")
The thing about building muscle is you want insulin levels to be high when doing it. Save your glucose and maltodextrin for around the workout period! ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2023, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diabetes-drug-may-slow-aging/983647/20 "2023-05-06T04:21:32Z")
I’ll need that explained to me. Something about eating sugar before exercise? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diabetes-drug-may-slow-aging/983647.md?page=2)