Widely-used drug can seriously increase women's odds of living to age 90
A popular prescription drug already in millions of medicine cabinets could be the key to unlocking a longer life for women.
New research published in the Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences found that those taking this widely-used diabetes drug had a great shot at making it to the big 9-0.
JackF – stock.adobe.com
No, it's not Ozempic — it's called metformin, and almost 20 million Americans are estimated to be taking it to help manage their Type 2 diabetes.
Like other diabetes drugs, this decades-old, dirt-cheap medication works by decreasing the amount of glucose the body absorbs from food and improves its response to insulin.
Also used to treat Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), metformin has often been hailed as a 'wonder drug' due to its other health benefits, including improving fertility in women, aiding in weight management and even reducing the risks of heart disease and certain cancers.
This new study set its sights on promising research indicating it may also have anti-aging effects.
Researchers analyzed the data of 438 postmenopausal women — half of whom were on metformin, the other half of whom took another diabetes drug called sulfonylurea.
Like other diabetes drugs, metformin works by decreasing the amount of glucose the body absorbs from food and improves its response to insulin.
Halfpoint – stock.adobe.com
They found that those in the metformin group had a 30% higher chance of making it to 90 when compared to the sulfonylurea group.
The study has a few limitations, the most notable of which is that it had no control group — meaning none of the participants weren't on diabetes medication — as well as a relatively small sample size.
However, one of its strengths was a follow-up period of 14-15 years, which is much longer than the average randomized controlled trial.
All told, the new study adds to an increasing body of research on the geroscience hypothesis, which posits that 'biological aging is malleable and that slowing biological aging may delay or prevent the onset of multiple age-related diseases and disability,' the researchers wrote.
The new study backs up previous research published last year which showed that metformin can slow aging and also prevent disease in healthy older adults.
'I don't know if metformin increases lifespan in people, but the evidence that exists suggests that it very well might,' Steven Austad, a senior scientific adviser at the American Federation for Aging Research who studies the biology of agin, told NPR.
While scientists figure out how to biohack our systems, this little pill may just propel you into your golden years.
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