Metformin drug extends your life

[bert bloggs]

I take 1000mg of Metformin for pre diabetes and recently i have been reading that they are now hailing it as an anti aging drug , checked with my doctor and he agreed ,said they are now actually going to do trials , well i never ,and the drug is so cheap. Anyone else heard aboy this ,there is lots on the internet .

[GaryB1263]

I have all ways heard it protects your cardiovascular system from atherosclerosis so there has always been a bonus for taking it. A new study is very good news. Thank's for the information.

[Sheryl]

Be wary of excess hype based on a single study -- especially since that study was financed by Bristol Myers-Squibb, the manufacturer of glucophage (common brand of metformin).

 

The actual study conclusion was " metformin may confer benefit in non-diabetes".  Much more research is needed on that. The results would need to be replicated by independent researchers not financed or affiliated with the drug manufacturer.

 

Certainly metformin is a good, solid drug for treatment of diabetes and one that has been around long enough that its safety profile is clear. But there is not currently sufficient evidence ot tout it for any other purpose. (Doesn't stop mass media, though).

[Oxx]

Link to original paper (I think, but it's dated 2014, so not recent):

 

 https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Guntram_Schernthaner/publication/266679685_Can_people_with_type_2_diabetes_live_longer_than_those_without_A_comparison_of_mortality_in_people_initiated_with_metformin_or_sulphonylurea_monotherapy_and_matched_non-diabetic_controls/links/53eb336a0cf28f342f451c33/Can-people-with-type-2-diabetes-live-longer-than-those-without-A-comparison-of-mortality-in-people-initiated-with-metformin-or-sulphonylurea-monotherapy-and-matched-non-diabetic-controls.pdf

 

The paper itself really is "sulphonylurea bad/metformin good", rather than about metformin extending life.

Edited June 23, 2017 by Oxx
Added date

[i claudius]

Link to original paper (I think, but it's dated 2014, so not recent):
 
 https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Guntram_Schernthaner/publication/266679685_Can_people_with_type_2_diabetes_live_longer_than_those_without_A_comparison_of_mortality_in_people_initiated_with_metformin_or_sulphonylurea_monotherapy_and_matched_non-diabetic_controls/links/53eb336a0cf28f342f451c33/Can-people-with-type-2-diabetes-live-longer-than-those-without-A-comparison-of-mortality-in-people-initiated-with-metformin-or-sulphonylurea-monotherapy-and-matched-non-diabetic-controls.pdf
 
The paper itself really is "sulphonylurea bad/metformin good", rather than about metformin extending life.

Not quite it does raise the question that those without diabetes may benifit from taking metformin.

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[Sheryl]

Yes, it does -- but only raises it as a matter for further reseatch.

[Oxx]

1 hour ago, i claudius said:

Not quite it does raise the question that those without diabetes may benifit from taking metformin.

 

But doesn't provide even a single shred of evidence that that might be the case.  Pure speculation.  It's an issue the experiment wasn't designed to address.

[i claudius]

 
But doesn't provide even a single shred of evidence that that might be the case.  Pure speculation.  It's an issue the experiment wasn't designed to address.

Yes but they are carrying out human tests now .by the way it extended the life of mice. So you never know and its an extremely cheap drug

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[partington]

6 minutes ago, i claudius said:

Yes but they are carrying out human tests now .by the way it extended the life of mice. So you never know and its an extremely cheap drug

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Can you provide evidence links for human testing on non-diabetics and the life extension of (non-diabetic?) mice please?

Edited June 23, 2017 by partington

[i claudius]

Sorry i just read it in google when i was researching it never tjought i would have to tell anyone. By the way when i was having a blood test and spoke to a doctor he knew all about it also said it could protect against alzheimers. I am not a medical person but just happened to reserch it after reading an article

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[Sheryl]

"could" is the operative word. there is no evidence that it does.

 

And again, keep in mind the one study that is the basis of this speculation was financed by the drug manufacturer. Much more research is needed.

[bert bloggs]

15 hours ago, Sheryl said:

"could" is the operative word. there is no evidence that it does.

 

And again, keep in mind the one study that is the basis of this speculation was financed by the drug manufacturer. Much more research is needed.

Actually you are wrong ,this is an independant trial ,started in 2016 ,the Diabetic society agree it could prolong life , if anyone is interested justrtype in Metformin ,and longer life ,there are many many pages of information , and also why would the drug company care ,it is now such a cheap drug ,500 for 800 baht here in Thailand .

[Sheryl]

You are confusing two different studies. The 2016 study (which is independent) is still in early stages and will run for anither 4 years or so. No information available from it yet.

The study which has been completed with results published in 2014 eas sponsored by Bristol Myers.

Thete is another study just complteted but not yet analyzed/published. But it is the current ongoing study that will shed the most light.

[geriatrickid]

20 hours ago, partington said:

Can you provide evidence links for human testing on non-diabetics and the life extension of (non-diabetic?) mice please?

There isn't.  

However, I can tell you what works and has amazing results; A balanced diet and lots of exercise. This is also the most cost effective  treatment.

[partington]

I've been looking at this, and it is quite interesting. Most of it is exaggerated newspaper hype designed to get clicks ("Miracle drug could extend your life by 20 years and it only costs pennies!") and completely misleading.  For example, all the significant mouse data is on mice with introduced genetic mutations that increase their incidence of cancer or high blood pressure, and when you test "ordinary" mice with nothing wrong with them the life extension effect almost disappears (but doesn't completely, e.g they live 5% longer compared to 25% longer for the mutants). Yet this does suggest protective effects unrelated to diabetes are occurring to limit the effects of the harmful mutations.

 

And there is something going on in humans too: patients with diabetes treated with metformin do live longer, as you might expect as diabetes kills you, but if you treat diabetes it doesn't kill you so fast. However these patients on average (ie half do, half don't) live about three years longer than matched people who don't have diabetes.

 

This is obviously why the ongoing trial that Sheryl refers to above is being carried out. The result won't be 20 years extra life or anything, but even a few years would be significant.

 

As a warning, there is at least one paper showing increased incidence of dementia in metformin treated human diabetics, but still this is genuinely fascinating...

Edited June 24, 2017 by partington

[Oxx]

30 minutes ago, partington said:

there is at least one paper showing increased incidence of dementia in metformin treated human diabetics, but still this is genuinely fascinating...

 

This has not been published in a peer-reviewed journal, and so must be taken with a very large pinch of salt (or Metformin).

 

Other research (published in a peer-reviewed journal) has shown the opposite - that Metformin reduces the risk of dementia.  I quote (from a secondary source since I don't have access to the original paper):

 

"In 2011, the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease published the findings of a large Taiwanese study showing a protective effect against development of dementia in diabetes patients who were given oral antidiabetic agents. The cohort of over 100,000 subjects included patients over 50 with type 2 diabetes, who were free of dementia at initiation, and received either or both metformin and a sulfonylurea.

 

"while T2D carries a two-fold increase in the risk of dementia, use of metformin, sulfonylureas, or both can reduce the risk by up to 35% over eight years."

[partington]

Not the one I meant, this journal IS peer reviewed:

1. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2012 May;60(5):916-21. doi: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2012.03916.x.
Epub 2012 Mar 28.

Metformin, other antidiabetic drugs, and risk of Alzheimer's disease: a
population-based case-control study.

Imfeld P(1), Bodmer M, Jick SS, Meier CR.

CONCLUSION: Long-term use of sulfonylureas, thiazolidinediones, or insulin was
not associated with an altered risk of developing AD. There was a suggestion of a
slightly higher risk of AD [Alzheimer's Disease my addition] in long-term users of metformin.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22458300

 

and so are these two. I am not trying to prove a point here, merely saying that evidence is conflicting on the cognition/dementia front, and this should be recognised.

 

. Diabetes Care. 2013 Oct;36(10):2981-7. doi: 10.2337/dc13-0229. Epub 2013 Sep 5.

Increased risk of cognitive impairment in patients with diabetes is associated
with metformin.

CONCLUSIONS: Metformin use was associated with impaired cognitive performance.
Vitamin B12 and calcium supplements may alleviate metformin-induced vitamin B12
deficiency and were associated with better cognitive outcomes. Prospective trials
are warranted to assess the beneficial effects of vitamin B12 and calcium use on 
cognition in older people with diabetes who are taking metformin.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24009301

J Alzheimers Dis. 2016;51(4):1197-208. .

 

Metformin Facilitates Amyloid-β Generation by β- and γ-Secretases via Autophagy Activation.

Son SM(1)(2), Shin HJ(1), Byun J(1), Kook SY(1), Moon M(1), Chang YJ(1), Mook-Jung I(1)(2).

 

The evidence of strong pathological associations between type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer's disease (AD) has increased in recent years. Contrary to suggestions that anti-diabetes drugs may have potential for treating AD, we demonstrate here that the insulin sensitizing anti-diabetes drug metformin (Glucophage®) increased the generation of amyloid-β (Aβ), one of the major pathological hallmarks of AD, by promoting β- and γ-secretase-mediated cleavage of amyloid-β protein precursor (AβPP) in SH-SY5Y cells.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26967226

Edited June 24, 2017 by partington

[GaryB1263]

partington did a good job summing this up.

[ignis]

On 2017-6-24 at 10:11 AM, bert bloggs said:

Actually you are wrong ,this is an independant trial ,started in 2016 ,the Diabetic society agree it could prolong life , if anyone is interested justrtype in Metformin ,and longer life ,there are many many pages of information , and also why would the drug company care ,it is now such a cheap drug ,500 for 800 baht here in Thailand .

500 for 800 baht here in Thailand !!!!

 

Wow are they wrapped in Gold ?  

 

I pay 168 baht for 500 tablet tub from a Pharmacy.[last tub bought 6 weeks ago]....  Even buying at the Hospital they cost  390 baht for 500, but these are blister packs in a box of 500..

[bert bloggs]

2 hours ago, ignis said:

500 for 800 baht here in Thailand !!!!

 

Wow are they wrapped in Gold ?  

 

I pay 168 baht for 500 tablet tub from a Pharmacy.[last tub bought 6 weeks ago]....  Even buying at the Hospital they cost  390 baht for 500, but these are blister packs in a box of 500..

Where do you get them that price? the hospital here in Pattaya are far far far more expensive than that , and Farcino is 800 baht for 500 . where were yours made Bangladesh lol

[ignis]

1 hour ago, bert bloggs said:

Where do you get them that price? the hospital here in Pattaya are far far far more expensive than that , and Farcino is 800 baht for 500 . where were yours made Bangladesh lol

Wholesale Pharmacy..  Metformin made by T.O. Chemicals,   Thailand..  about 2 years ago used to be 146 baht..   look for a Thai Pharmacy that have big bottles, many sell 500 mg tables for around 180 - 200 baht for 500 tub... as said bought 6 weeks ago EXP date: 18/19/2019, will be gone long before then.

 

Hospital I use the Red Cross Hospital.  theirs are called Miformin, made by Greater Pharma Manufacturing Co Ltd, Thailand..  the present box just come to the end  EXP date  27/12/2021...  http://www.greaterpharma.com/product/products.php

 

The wholesale Pharmacy is a long drive for me + nowhere to park + small shop with many people waiting most are Drs or there agents, sometimes Hospital van pull up and load boxes,  there open from 10:30 to 16:00 [4pm] Monday to Friday only.. never waited less than 1 hour, [often others in the Village will ask for different medications so the normal spend there is 4,000 + baht]  so if don't need a lot will buy on my 90 day Diabetic Dr Visit at the Red Cross Hospital

 

Edit:  went into Farcino in Bang Yai, almost died at there prices...  I use 'Coxiup' for bad knee joints..  675 baht, just round the corner in a proper Thai Pharmacy is 328 baht !!! same package and contents.  

Edited June 26, 2017 by ignis

[churchill]

Article .. '4 ideas that could reverse the biology of ageing'

 

'

In the end, the first ever anti-ageing drug likely to reach the market will be one we’re already familiar with: metformin. It’s used to treat diabetes, has been around since the 1950s and is used by tens of millions of people.

In animals, metformin extends lifespan and maintains health, while population-wide studies show it reduces cancer risk. Metformin is thought to work by turning on an energy sensor in cells called “AMPK”, which senses situations of low energy and alters metabolism in response.

The effect of metformin on health and lifespan in older, non-diabetic individuals is currently the subject of the TAME trial in New York. If successful, this trial may lead to the first ever “gero-protective” or “anti-ageing” pill, which would be taken as a widely-used prophylactic by the older population.'

 

more https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/04/living-forever-can-we-reverse-the-biology-of-ageing?utm_content=bufferc710b&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

[GaryB1263]

7 minutes ago, churchill said:

Article .. '4 ideas that could reverse the biology of ageing'

 

'

In the end, the first ever anti-ageing drug likely to reach the market will be one we’re already familiar with: metformin. It’s used to treat diabetes, has been around since the 1950s and is used by tens of millions of people.

In animals, metformin extends lifespan and maintains health, while population-wide studies show it reduces cancer risk. Metformin is thought to work by turning on an energy sensor in cells called “AMPK”, which senses situations of low energy and alters metabolism in response.

The effect of metformin on health and lifespan in older, non-diabetic individuals is currently the subject of the TAME trial in New York. If successful, this trial may lead to the first ever “gero-protective” or “anti-ageing” pill, which would be taken as a widely-used prophylactic by the older population.'

 

more https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/04/living-forever-can-we-reverse-the-biology-of-ageing?utm_content=bufferc710b&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

It would be nice if it works.

[churchill]

16 minutes ago, GaryB1263 said:

It would be nice if it works.

I am taking medication for HT and high Cholesterol , I started taking half a tablet a day about 6 months ago , told my cardiologist and she thought a good idea .. so still take it daily  .. Very cheap and perhaps preventative .

[i claudius]

We can all hope but i have read some good things about it

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