The future is taking our current understanding of biology and applying it to humans. Years ago, aging was a biological mystery, now we are starting to understand what is going on.
At the Anti-Aging and Wellness Clinic in Costa Rica, we believe in the anti-aging benefits of metformin and we have been recommending this drug to our patients for many years. It is very exciting for us to know that the application of metformin as an anti-aging drug is being evaluated in clinical trials. This article reviews the latest news about the benefits of this treatment.
Scientists think the best candidate for an anti-ageing drug is metformin (a drug widely used to treat diabetes for over 40 years). Metformin has been proven to delay aging in animals. Studies point to the likelihood that metformin may influence fundamental aging factors in humans.
The FDA has approved a study that will determine if metformin can do more than lower blood sugar. The study will evaluate metformin’s ability to slow aging. This is the first ever anti-aging study approved by the FDA. It’s revolutionary. If Metformin slows down aging then it slows down all the diseases and pathology of aging as well. The question is how will metformin slow this process? Let’s take a look at some interesting properties of this drug:
- Metformin improves glycemic control by decreasing hepatic glucose production, decreasing glucose absorption and increasing insulin-mediated glucose uptake. Also, metformin induces weight loss and is the drug of choice for obese patients.
- Metformin increases the number of muscle and fat cell insulin receptors and increases the attraction for the receptor. It decreases total cholesterol and low-density cholesterol (considered to be a bad cholesterol), free fatty acids, tissue plasminogen activator antigen and insulin levels. LDL cholesterol collects in the walls of your blood vessels, where it can cause blockages. Higher levels of LDL raise your chances of a heart attack. Metformin helps to reduce LDL hence, helping to prevent heart disease.
- Free fatty acids are increased in obese patients and contribute to type 2 diabetes, hepatic stenosis, and several cardiovascular diseases. Free fatty acids also contribute to myocardial dysfunction and are proarrhythmic.
- Metformin increases the number of oxygen molecules released into the cells in the body, which appears to raise longevity and vigor.
- Metformin improves the activity of an enzyme found in our cells called adenosine monophosphate, an activated protein kinase (AMPK ). This enzyme activation helps simulate the beneficial effects of calorie restriction.
- Another advantage of metformin is that is costs just pennies a day!!
- Metformin applied in animal tests showed that animals not only aged slower, but also stayed healthier far longer than expected. In mice, metformin increased their life expectancy by almost 40% and strengthed their bones.
What does the clinical trial consist of?
This ground breaking clinical trial, called Targeting Aging with Metformin (TAME) will test whether metformin can delay the onset of age-related diseases and conditions including cancer, cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer’s disease.
The study will evaluate 3,000 people over a course of six years. Half of the participants will receive metformin, and the other half will receive a placebo. Since aging is largely characterized by the development of disease, the success of the study will be determined by whether or not the drug delays the onset of typical age-related diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and cognitive decline. It will be a double-blind, placebo-controlled study
The study’s hope is that a wide variety of age-related problems, loss of muscle tone, dizziness, falls, dementia, loss of eyesight and many other age-related problems could be delayed.
The director of the Institute for Aging Research at Albert Einstein College of Medicine is currently involved in a clinical study to analyze how metformin may impact age-related conditions like inflammation, cell senescence, oxidation and apoptosis through its impact on cellular and metabolic processes. Investigators are also studying whether metformin use can possibly improve gene expression profiles.
“We want to change the habit of treating accumulating diseases with accumulating therapy for the elderly. We would rather prevent aging and by that prevent the onset of multiple diseases”. Experts told Medical Economics.
According to the lead researcher of Cardiff University, metformin has already been demonstrated to offer benefits against cancer and cardiovascular disease.
Researchers believe that metformin may have a large number of additional health benefits beyond treating diabetes. It is now being tested on humans for its anti-aging properties and there are very high expectations for positive results.
The Anti-Aging and Wellness Clinic in Costa Rica is a leader in anti-aging therapies. We recommend metformin as part of our treatments and are very excited for you to experience the benefits of all our therapies. Rather than serving as a period of debility and decreasing health, for many people, the later years of life are becoming a period of continued productivity, independence, and good health. The leading causes of death (cardiovascular disease, cancer, lung disease and diabetes) are the end result of decades-long processes. With current knowledge, it is possible to delay the onset of these diseases. The Anti-Aging and Wellness Clinic in Costa Rica is a professional and reliable resource for you.