On April 4, 2023, The Wall Street Journal published the article, "Longevity Seekers Embraced This Drug. But Does It Actually Fight Aging?" The article questions Metformin as a therapeutic intervention to extend years of health as we grow older.
AFAR Scientific Director Nir Barzilai, MD, has written this response to clarify the research which points towards the potential for Metformin to extend healthspan and why it was selected for the AFAR-managed TAME Trial.
Read Dr. Barzilai's response below:
“Longevity Seekers Embraced This Drug: But Does It Actually Fight Aging” (April 4) misses a number of key points about metformin, a diabetes drug, that some are taking improve one’s health and extend one’s life.
The article notes a few studies and scientific observers that cast doubt on metformin, but it ignores well designed research and researchers that continue to point to metformin’s role in modulating the aging process, reducing the incidence of age-related diseases, and increasing longevity, both in animals and, more importantly, people.
Second, we have learned that metformin should not be taken by people 50 or younger; perhaps because its effects are more beneficial as one gets older, and we exhibit more of the so-called biological “hallmarks of aging.” For example, while metformin has improved muscle quality in older people, younger people interested in bulking up should not be on the drug.
Finally, the planned Targeting Aging with Metformin or TAME trial, designed with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) consultation, will provide more definitive data, involving more than 3,000 people at 14 research centers around the country. TAME will explore how, if at all, metformin influences several aging hallmarks, effectively answering the questions and doubts raised in the article.
More importantly, metformin is a perfect tool to demonstrate to the FDA that the aging process can be targeted. If successful in the TAME trial, metformin can serve as proof of concept, and the FDA may deem aging an 'indication,' to signify that aging can be 'treated.' This will make room in the regulatory process for a new generation of drugs designed to prevent or diminish the effects of a wide range of age-related ills from cancer to heart disease to dementia, drugs likely even better than metformin."
The original Wall Street Journal article is available with subscription, here.
Learn more about the TAME Trial here.
