Meet the Oldest
Anti-Ager: Metformin

Healthy Aging

Metformin is an
AMPK-Amplifier

There have been many advances in science around aging – and ideas on how to slow it. While anti-aging used to be an area limited to anti-wrinkle creams, some of the smartest researchers at the most prestigious institutions are pursuing the fountain of youth. Well, at least a drinking fountain that will keep us healthier longer.

This series of Science Says, inspired by a feature in GEN Biotechnology, is dedicated to the most promising advances in longevity research – and popular concepts that have recently fallen. This week, let’s talk about one of the oldest anti-aging candidates: metformin.

What is metformin?

Metformin is an ancient medicinal herb that was discovered in the French lilac in 1653. Back then, metformin was used to treat things like worms, pestilence and other ailments. You know, 1653 stuff.

While metformin was shown to lower blood sugar in people with diabetes during 1772, it took nearly 200 more years before metformin was routinely used to help manage and treat type 2 diabetes. Today, metformin is one of the most widely used drugs globally and is the first line treatment for type 2 diabetes.

I knew that metformin was used to manage type 2 diabetes, but why is it considered a possible anti-aging compound?

Good question! You may recall from our prior Science Says newsletters that there are nine hallmarks of aging. These hallmarks are cell-based changes that explain why we break down with age. In their review paper, Chen et al. describe how metformin helps to slow aging by targeting ALL nine hallmarks of aging. How so, you ask? There is one central longevity pathway that enables metformin’s anti-aging superpower: AMPK activation.

What is AMPK?

AMPK stands for adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase. Beyond being a mouthful of a phrase, AMPK is a super good energy sensor for our cells.

Are your cells lacking energy? No problem. AMPK helps to turn the energy up and keep your cells fit.

Unfortunately, our AMPK pathway starts to glitch as we get older. As a result, our cells peter out and our bodies (and brains) start to falter, too. This AMPK glitch can throw us off-balance, including our immunity, brain, kidney, liver, and gut health.

In a great review, Hasanvand describes how metformin’s activation of AMPK results in:

• Controlled inflammation
• Lowered oxidative stress
• Balanced cells
• Repaired overall function

Thus, AMPK appears to be the heart of metformin’s potential to help us live healthier, longer.

So, should we all be taking metformin?

As summarized by Xenos et al., the science around metformin is indeed encouraging. So encouraging, in fact, that multiple FDA-approved clinical trials have been underway to evaluate metformin’s ability to slow aging. The largest of these clinical trials is called the Targeting Aging with Metformin, or TAME, study. While the jury is still out, the results of these clinical trials will be closely watched to see if this 350-year old herbal medicine will become part of our anti-aging future.