A team of scientists has found new clues that could change how we think about aging. Their work suggests that aging might not be set in stone. Instead, it could be something we can shape or even slow down. The breakthrough centers on a drug already found in millions of medicine cabinets around the world.
Metformin, a common treatment for type 2 diabetes, is at the heart of this research. Scientists found it may also help slow the aging process at the cellular level. While the drug wasn’t designed for this purpose, it now shows real promise in changing how aging unfolds—at least in primates.
The research was led by several teams working together under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). Though the names of the individual researchers are well-known in scientific circles, it’s the results that are capturing attention.
Their findings were recently published in the prestigious journal Cell, raising eyebrows across the global research community.
To explore the effects of metformin, the team turned to Cynomolgus monkeys. These primates share a close biological link to humans, making them ideal for long-term aging studies. By focusing on this species, researchers could get a clearer picture of how aging might be influenced in people, too.
Over a period of 40 months, male monkeys received regular doses of metformin. The study tracked the animals using medical imaging, blood tests, and tissue analysis. Researchers examined multiple organs and gathered data through a variety of methods, including advanced molecular tools.
What they saw was striking. Tissues from monkeys treated with metformin showed less wear and damage over time. The liver, lungs, heart, and muscles all benefited. This wasn’t a small effect—it was seen across multiple systems, hinting at a broad anti-aging impact.
Notably, it mitigated the atrophy of the cerebral cortex, enhanced cognitive function, and slowed periodontal bone loss. This suggests that metformin may be acting directly on neurons and other cells, independent of its usual function in blood sugar regulation.
The study identified that metformin activates the Nrf2-mediated antioxidant gene expression network in the brain, delaying the effects of cellular aging. This mechanism provides a strong scientific basis for metformin’s geroprotective properties and could pave the way for future therapeutic advancements aimed at slowing down aging.
In addition to its direct impact on neurons, the researchers employed machine learning models to evaluate the overall systemic effects of metformin on aging. These models helped them build a comprehensive assessment of tissue and organ aging, allowing for precise evaluations of the drug’s benefits.
The results indicated a significant reduction in biological age markers in primates treated with metformin. DNA methylation age, transcriptome age, and plasma protein and metabolite age were all reduced. The most substantial reduction observed was equivalent to 18 human years, a striking finding that highlights metformin’s potential in delaying biological aging.
The effects of metformin were most pronounced in the frontal lobe of the brain and the liver, two areas particularly vulnerable to aging. High-precision aging clocks at the single-cell level demonstrated that the biological age of neural cells in the brain and hepatocytes in the liver was reduced by approximately five to six years.
When translated to humans, this is equivalent to about 15 to 18 years. The study’s thorough and methodical approach offers new paradigms and standards for evaluating human aging interventions.
As the researchers emphasized, the study’s implications are far-reaching. “This is a significant step forward in understanding the biology of aging,” said one of the lead scientists. It also highlights the shift in geriatric medicine from treating individual chronic conditions to addressing the aging process as a whole. This transition represents a new frontier in healthcare, one that targets the root causes of aging to improve overall health and longevity.
As human life expectancy continues to rise, the focus on aging-related diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and cardiovascular conditions, has grown. However, this study demonstrates the possibility of targeting the aging process itself, rather than merely treating its consequences.
With metformin showing such potential, future research could lead to broader applications for humans, possibly helping to reduce age-related decline and enhance the quality of life in older adults.
This research opens new doors to understanding and potentially reversing aspects of aging. By using metformin, scientists have not only expanded knowledge about cellular aging but also laid the groundwork for future therapies aimed at delaying the aging process.
This represents a major leap forward in the field of geriatric medicine, signaling a future where aging may not be an inevitable decline, but a process that can be managed and perhaps even reversed.