A Continued Focus on Metformin, a Demonstrably Poor Approach to Treating Aging

Metformin is a poster child for the way in which much of the aging research community is focused on approaches to aging that cannot possibly achieve more than a very modest slowing of degeneration, and where the existing evidence strongly suggests that those tiny positive outcomes will be unreliable at best. Metformin is a way to tinker with the operation of a damaged metabolism, not a way to repair that damage. As a calorie restriction mimetic, the animal data shows that it compares very poorly to calorie restriction itself. We know that calorie restriction doesn't do anywhere near enough for human longevity. This is not the way forward to human rejuvenation. Although current research gives promise to metformin as an anti-aging drug, there are still concerns that need to be highlighted, and they apply not only to research into metformin but to other anti-aging mechanisms and drug research as well. First, despite the positive outcomes from many studies, it is not uncommon to find a change in dosage turning the result from life-extending to life-ending. When a low dose of metformin (0.1%) was given to middle-aged male mice with their diet, their lifespans were extended by 5.83% on average, but a higher concentration (1%) became toxic. Another issue standing in the way relates to the side effects associated with chronic use of drugs. About 25% of patients treated with metformin have gastrointestinal side effects. Besides, chronic use of metformin can cause dose-...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs