Geroscience drugs
Approved for other uses
Metformin and the TAME trial
A low-cost diabetes drug proposed as the first test case for treating aging itself.
How it works
Metformin lowers hepatic glucose output and acts on cellular energy and nutrient-sensing pathways. It has been proposed as a tool to target several aging processes at once.
Hallmarks of aging targeted
Deregulated nutrient sensing · Mitochondrial dysfunction
What the evidence says
Honest about what is proven, and what is not.
The TAME (Targeting Aging with Metformin) trial was designed to test whether metformin delays a cluster of age-related diseases in about 3,000 non-diabetic adults aged 65–79 (Barzilai, Cell Metab 2016). As of NPR’s April 2024 report, TAME had not started because funding was short, partly because metformin is generic. There is no randomized proof that metformin extends healthspan in people without diabetes.
Key reference
Barzilai N, Crandall JP, Kritchevsky SB, Espeland MA. Cell Metab. 2016;23(6):1060-1065
Considering this for yourself?
Many longevity therapies are experimental, off-label or not FDA-approved for aging. A physician-guided evaluation weighs your labs, history and goals before anything is started.
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Foundations
Exercise and resistance training
The best-evidenced healthspan intervention we have: aerobic fitness plus strength.
Foundations
Sleep, nutrition and caloric restriction
Daily inputs that shape metabolic aging; the strongest data are for caloric restriction.
Metabolic
GLP-1 receptor agonists
Obesity and diabetes drugs with proven heart benefits and an open question on aging.