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Diabetes medication investigated for anti-aging potential hailed as ‘wonder drug’
The appellation wonder drug might even be an understatement, reckons Harvard Healths Robert Shmerling, MD. But why?
Metformin is a first-line treatment for type 2 diabetes; its potential for possibly even slowing aging and extending life expectancy is less clear. However, researchers are investigating its apparent ability to lessen cognitive decline, reduce the risk of stroke, treat polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and prevent age-related illness. Move over, artemisinin. And you, amycretin. Theres a new (old) dog in town.
A brief history of metformin
Metformins storied history begins hundreds of years ago, in the leaves of an unostentatious medicinal herb called galega, or goats-rue, with pale pink flowers.
Native to Northern Africa, Western Asia, and Europe, galega belongs to a family of legumes. Utah State University first introduced it to the United States in 1891, for its potential as a forage crop. However, it escaped cultivation and is now considered an agricultural pest.�
It found its way onto the Federal Noxious Weed List, which was superseded in 2000 by the Plant Protection Act.
In ancient herbalism, galega was used as a diuretic, i.e., to make people produce urine. In too large quantities, it can be poisonous to animals, but insects feed on it without a problem.
Galega is rich in guanidine. In 1918, a scientist discovered guanidine’s blood glucose-lowering capabilities. From guanidine, you get galegine, and metformin was first produced in Europe in the 1950s as a treatment for diabetes, with galegine as a key starting point. The FDA finally approved it for use in the US in 1995.�
As of 2024, it is the most widely prescribed medication for people with diabetes who are unable to independently control their blood sugar levels through diet and exercise, according to Harvard Health.
But metformin can do a lot more than treat diabetes
Metformins potential benefits extend far beyond the reach of what it was originally synthesized to do. People without diabetes could see improvements in a host of ways from taking it, and doctors have been prescribing it off-label for years, meaning to treat conditions outside its approved use, writes Harvard Health.
As it stands, metformins recorded health benefits include treating:
- Prediabetes. Metformin can delay the onset of diabetes, or even prevent it, by regulating the blood sugar levels of prediabetic people.
- Gestational diabetes. Metformin can help control blood glucose levels during pregnancy.
- Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). For years, doctors have been prescribing metformin for women with PCOS to help with menstrual regulation, fertility, and elevated blood sugar.
- Weight gain from taking antipsychotic medicines. A common side effect of antipsychotic medications is weight gain. Metformin has been shown to minimize weight gain for patients taking such medicines.�
Slowing the biological clock
Beyond these benefits, research is underway into metformins potential to:
- Lower the risk of breast, colon, and prostate cancer among people with type 2 diabetes.
- Lower the risk of dementia and stroke, by lessening cognitive decline.
- Slow the processes of aging, prevent age-related diseases, and increase lifespan.�
A research paper published in September 2024 details how metformin prevents brain atrophy, elevating cognitive function, slows the pace of aging, and works against neuronal aging in old male monkeys.
You can never guarantee that monkeys and humans will respond to a drug in the same way. However, the rigorous 40-month study is promising. Its authors argue that metformin exerts a substantial neuroprotective effect, preserving brain structure and enhancing cognitive ability.
It pioneers the systemic reduction of multi-dimensional biological age, they say, with potentially far-reaching implications for pharmaceutical strategies against human aging.
