Is the drug that has been present for decades and being used by many individuals worldwide the answer to the fountain of youth? Metformin, the drug widely-used by patients with diabetes can actually slow down the aging process and keep people healthier.
The new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) found out that the drug can slow the aging process to increase lifespan of people, reports Medical News Today.
The drug was first approved to be used by the public in 1958. However, in the United States, it was not until 1994 that the drug was available for public use. Decades have passed, the drug mainly controls blood sugar for patients with type II diabetes. It belongs to a class of drugs known as biguanides which controls the blood sugar by reducing the amount of glucose absorbed in the blood and the glucose produced in the liver.
However, a new study by researchers from the the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KU Leuven) in Belgium has discovered that this drug may be used for slowing down the aging process. The research team, led by Wouter De Haes, found out that after series of experiments on roundworms (Caenorhabditis elegans), the drug increased the rate of toxic molecules being released in the cells of the worms. Thus, it lengthened the life span of the worm which normally lasted for three weeks.
However, they are still pushing through for it to be tested on humans. They need the approval of the United States Food and Drug Administration, reports Harper Bazaar. If they would gain the approval of the regulatory board, they will test the drug on 3,000 elderly people who suffer from high risk diseases like cancer, cardiovascular problems and cognitive disorders.
"As they age, the worms get smaller, wrinkle up and become less mobile. But worms treated with metformin show very limited size loss and no wrinkling. They not only age slower, but they also stay healthier longer," says Haes.
