{"id":32,"date":"2012-11-26T03:25:54","date_gmt":"2012-11-26T03:25:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/joshmitteldorf.peachpuff-wolverine-566518.hostingersite.com\/?p=32"},"modified":"2012-11-26T16:45:03","modified_gmt":"2012-11-26T16:45:03","slug":"is-metformin-an-anti-aging-drug","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/2012\/11\/26\/is-metformin-an-anti-aging-drug\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Metformin an Anti-aging Drug?"},"content":{"rendered":"

As we age, we all lose sensitivity to insulin and begin, gradually or rapidly, to poison our bodies with excess sugar in the blood. This happens to almost everyone, and it is only when the symptom is particularly severe that it is diagnosed as (type 2) diabetes. Metformin<\/em> is a drug that has been used to treat diabetes for 50 years, but it is only recently that epidemiologists have begun to notice that patients on metformin have lower rates of cancer and heart disease. Of course, cancer and heart disease were elevated to begin with in diabetics. But the question has been asked: will metformin provide a benefit for \u201cnormal\u201d aging, and lower cancer risk for people who are not diagnosed with diabetes?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Vladimir Anisimov from University of Glasgow has proposed <\/a><\/span>that it\u2019s time to test metformin for its anti-cancer and life extension potential for non-diabetics. He is a biostatistician, an epidemiologist and not a physiologist. But a good part of the reason to think that this might work comes from theory.<\/span><\/p>\n

Metformin and Caloric Restriction<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The only intervention that is known to consistently extend life span across many different species is caloric restriction. Animals seem to be widely adapted to stabilize their populations by suppressing death from aging under conditions of starvation (and raising the internally-programmed death rate when there is plenty of food). How does the individual metabolism detect when it is starving? The signal comes mainly from the insulin metabolism. The body responds to chronically elevated insulin by <\/span>decreasing<\/em> sensitivity to insulin, and raising insulin levels yet further in a positive feedback loop that cascades toward death. Metformin interrupts this cycle in a manner similar to lowered food intake. Since most people don\u2019t tolerate chronic hunger very well, a drug that offers the benefits of a lean diet without having to cut calories would be highly prized. Such a drug is called a <\/span>caloric restriction mimetic<\/em>, and there is some reason to believe that is what metformin does. (Many people taking metformin experience actual weight loss as well.)<\/span><\/p>\n

The health benefits of metformin for diabetics are striking, and are not shared by other drugs that treat only the diabetes. Metformin cuts cancer rates by 37%<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0But cancer is already elevated in diabetics. If the reduction in cancer had been to values <\/span>below<\/em> the rates in non-diabetics, then metformin for non-diabetics would seem to be a slam dunk. But in reality this sizable benefit brings cancer rates down just about to their level in non-diabetics<\/a>, but not further. <\/span>\u00a0So the benefits for non-diabetics remain speculative.<\/span><\/p>\n

Life extension in rats and mice<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Over the years, there have been many studies of metformin\u2019s effects on mice and rats. Most show some life extension, and the best result increased life span by 38%. Metformin seems to work better for mice than rats, and better for females than males. \u00a0Here is a table (from Anisimov<\/a>) summarizing results in rodents.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Strain<\/th>\nSex<\/th>\nTreatment<\/th>\nNo. of animals<\/th>\nLife span, days<\/th>\nReferences<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Mean<\/th>\nLast 10% of survivors<\/th>\nMaximum<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Mouse<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
C3H\/Sn<\/td>\nFemale<\/td>\nControl<\/td>\n30<\/td>\n450 \u00b1 23.4<\/td>\n631 \u00b1 11.4<\/td>\n643<\/td>\n[67<\/a>]<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Phenformin<\/td>\n24<\/td>\n545 \u00b1 39.2 (+21.1%)<\/td>\n810 \u00b1 0 * (+28.4%)<\/td>\n810 (+26%)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
FVB\/N<\/td>\nFemale<\/td>\nControl<\/td>\n34<\/td>\n264 \u00b1 3.5<\/td>\n297 \u00b1 7.3<\/td>\n311<\/td>\n[68<\/a>]<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Metformin<\/td>\n32<\/td>\n285 \u00b1 5.2 (+8.0%)<\/td>\n336 \u00b1 2.7 (+13.1%)*<\/td>\n340 (+16.2%)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
FVB\/N<\/td>\nFemale<\/td>\nControl<\/td>\n15<\/td>\n285 \u00b1 12<\/td>\n396 \u00b1 0<\/td>\n396<\/td>\n[69<\/a>]<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Metformin<\/td>\n20<\/td>\n304 \u00b1 10<\/td>\n352 \u00b1 7<\/td>\n359<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
SHR<\/td>\nFemale<\/td>\nControl<\/td>\n50<\/td>\n388 \u00b1 29.2<\/td>\n727 \u00b1 22.5<\/td>\n814<\/td>\n[70<\/a>]<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Metformin<\/td>\n50<\/td>\n535 \u00b1 31.9* (+37.9%)<\/td>\n878 \u00b1 6.6* (+20.8%)<\/td>\n898 (+10.3%)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
NMRI<\/td>\nFemale<\/td>\nControl<\/td>\n50<\/td>\n346 \u00b1 11.9<\/td>\n480 \u00b1 9.2<\/td>\n511<\/td>\n[71<\/a>]<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Diabenol<\/td>\n50<\/td>\n369 \u00b1 12.9<\/td>\n504 \u00b1 6.4* (+5.9%)<\/td>\n518<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
129\/Sv<\/td>\nMale<\/td>\nControl<\/td>\n41<\/td>\n662 \u00b1 27.7<\/td>\n951 \u00b1 32.3<\/td>\n1029<\/td>\n[72<\/a>]<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Metformin<\/td>\n46<\/td>\n573 \u00b1 26.5 (-13.4%)*<\/td>\n931 \u00b1 30.4<\/td>\n1044<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
129\/Sv<\/td>\nFemale<\/td>\nControl<\/td>\n47<\/td>\n706 \u00b1 20.8<\/td>\n910 \u00b1 8.9<\/td>\n930<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Metformin<\/td>\n48<\/td>\n742 \u00b1 16.3 (+5.1%)<\/td>\n913 \u00b1 19.2<\/td>\n966 (+3.9%)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Rat<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
LIO<\/td>\nFemale<\/td>\nControl<\/td>\n41<\/td>\n652 \u00b1 27.3<\/td>\n885 \u00b1 11.3<\/td>\n919<\/td>\n[1<\/a>,73<\/a>]<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Phenformin<\/td>\n44<\/td>\n652 \u00b1 28.7<\/td>\n974 \u00b1 16.2** (+10.1%)<\/td>\n1009 (+9.8%)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Female<\/td>\nControl<\/td>\n74<\/td>\n687 \u00b1 19.2<\/td>\n925 \u00b1 22.5<\/td>\n1054<\/td>\n[74<\/a>]<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Buformin<\/td>\n42<\/td>\n737 \u00b1 26.4 (+7.3%)<\/td>\n1036\u00b1 38.9* (+12%)<\/td>\n1112 (+5.5%)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Fischer-344<\/td>\nMale<\/td>\nControl<\/td>\n31<\/td>\n796 \u00b1 170<\/td>\n1039 \u00b1 29.6<\/td>\n1065<\/td>\n[75<\/a>]<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Metformin<\/td>\n40<\/td>\n815 \u00b1 186<\/td>\n1061 \u00b1 2.5<\/td>\n1062<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The difference with control is significant: * – p < 0.05 ; ** p < 0.01 (Student’s test)
\n(Phenformin and buformin are chemical sisters of metformin. Metformin is prescribed for people because it has the lowest rate of complications and side effects.)<\/span><\/p>\n

Mechanism for protection against cancer<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

There is also \u201ctest tube\u201d evidence for metformin\u2019s effect on cancer: Cancer cells are supposed to detect that they are diseased \u00a0and eliminate themselves harmlessly and promptly via a mechanism called <\/span>apoptosis<\/em>. Cancer can\u2019t become cancer until this mechanism is suppressed, mutated away so that the cancer cells don\u2019t automatically commit suicide. \u00a0 In lab studies of cell cultures, cancer cells respond to metformin by restoring the <\/span>apoptosis <\/em>mechanism that was suppressed when they became cancerous in the first place. \u00a0Metformin shrinks tumors by inducing cancer cells to commit suicide. \u00a0On this basis, metformin is just beginning to be tried<\/a> as a treatment for cancer patients, with first application to breast cancer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Side-effects<\/strong><\/p>\n

Complications and risks from metformin are unusual, but they do exist. The main one is called lactic acidosis<\/a> \u2013 a rare but serious disease that is almost unknown outside metformin patients. A conscientious doctor who prescribes metformin will counsel the patient to be alert to the symptoms.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Research study would be most beneficial \u2013 but who will pay the bill?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

For those who are overweight in middle age or pre-diabetic, there is much to recommend metformin. But are there benefits for middle-aged people who are not in this category? The only way to know for sure is through double-blind clinical trials with at least several thousands of patients. But who will fund such a study? Metformin is a cheap, generic prescription, decades out of patent. There is no company with the motivation to invest in it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Even if such a study is begun, it will require ten years at best before we know anything. \u00a0In the meantime, a few avid life extensionists <\/a><\/span>are taking the chance<\/a> and asking their doctors for a prescription, or even self-medicating through on-line pharmacies. \u00a0Perhaps we will learn from their experience.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0For basic information about healthy living for a long life,
\nsee the author\u2019s permanent page at\u00a0AgingAdvice.org<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As we age, we all lose sensitivity to insulin and begin, gradually or rapidly, to poison our bodies with excess sugar in the blood. This happens to almost everyone, and it is only when the symptom is particularly severe that it is diagnosed as (type 2) diabetes. Metformin is a drug that has been used … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":65,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nIs Metformin an Anti-aging Drug? - Josh Mitteldorf<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/2012\/11\/26\/is-metformin-an-anti-aging-drug\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Is Metformin an Anti-aging Drug?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As we age, we all lose sensitivity to insulin and begin, gradually or rapidly, to poison our bodies with excess sugar in the blood. This happens to almost everyone, and it is only when the symptom is particularly severe that it is diagnosed as (type 2) diabetes. Metformin is a drug that has been used ... Read more\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/2012\/11\/26\/is-metformin-an-anti-aging-drug\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Josh Mitteldorf\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2012-11-26T03:25:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2012-11-26T16:45:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Josh Mitteldorf\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Josh Mitteldorf\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/joshmitteldorf\\\/2012\\\/11\\\/26\\\/is-metformin-an-anti-aging-drug\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/joshmitteldorf\\\/2012\\\/11\\\/26\\\/is-metformin-an-anti-aging-drug\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Josh Mitteldorf\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/joshmitteldorf\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/214c5d1dad9f15c48f03128d5cfccdb1\"},\"headline\":\"Is Metformin an Anti-aging Drug?\",\"datePublished\":\"2012-11-26T03:25:54+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2012-11-26T16:45:03+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/joshmitteldorf\\\/2012\\\/11\\\/26\\\/is-metformin-an-anti-aging-drug\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":913,\"commentCount\":32,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/joshmitteldorf\\\/#organization\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/joshmitteldorf\\\/2012\\\/11\\\/26\\\/is-metformin-an-anti-aging-drug\\\/#respond\"]}],\"copyrightYear\":\"2012\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/joshmitteldorf\\\/2012\\\/11\\\/26\\\/is-metformin-an-anti-aging-drug\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/joshmitteldorf\\\/2012\\\/11\\\/26\\\/is-metformin-an-anti-aging-drug\\\/\",\"name\":\"Is Metformin an Anti-aging Drug? - Josh Mitteldorf\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/joshmitteldorf\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2012-11-26T03:25:54+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2012-11-26T16:45:03+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/joshmitteldorf\\\/2012\\\/11\\\/26\\\/is-metformin-an-anti-aging-drug\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/joshmitteldorf\\\/2012\\\/11\\\/26\\\/is-metformin-an-anti-aging-drug\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/joshmitteldorf\\\/2012\\\/11\\\/26\\\/is-metformin-an-anti-aging-drug\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/joshmitteldorf\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Is Metformin an Anti-aging Drug?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/joshmitteldorf\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/joshmitteldorf\\\/\",\"name\":\"Josh Mitteldorf\",\"description\":\"Aging Matters\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/joshmitteldorf\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/joshmitteldorf\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/joshmitteldorf\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Josh Mitteldorf\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/joshmitteldorf\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/joshmitteldorf\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/joshmitteldorf\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2024\\\/09\\\/1058476001.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/joshmitteldorf\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2024\\\/09\\\/1058476001.jpg\",\"width\":864,\"height\":363,\"caption\":\"Josh Mitteldorf\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/joshmitteldorf\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/joshmitteldorf\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/214c5d1dad9f15c48f03128d5cfccdb1\",\"name\":\"Josh Mitteldorf\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/d3a8498f3d727156673030716d233edc57840f110d501b1b523e1780e9043b92?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/d3a8498f3d727156673030716d233edc57840f110d501b1b523e1780e9043b92?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/d3a8498f3d727156673030716d233edc57840f110d501b1b523e1780e9043b92?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Josh Mitteldorf\"},\"description\":\"Josh Mitteldorf studies evolutionary theory of aging using computer simulations. The surprising fact that our bodies are genetically programmed to age and to die offers an enormous opportunity for medical intervention. It may be that therapies to slow the progress of aging need not repair or regenerate anything, but only need to interfere with an existing program of self-destruction. Mitteldorf has taught a weekly yoga class for thirty years. He is an advocate for vigorous self care, including exercise, meditation and caloric restriction. After earning a PhD in astrophysicist, Mitteldorf moved to evolutionary biology as a primary field in 1996. He has taught at Harvard, Berkeley, Bryn Mawr, LaSalle and Temple University. He is presently affiliated with MIT as a visiting scholar. In private life, Mitteldorf is an advocate for election integrity as well as public health. He is an avid amateur musician, playing piano in chamber groups, French horn in community orchestras. His two daughters are among the first children adopted from China in the mid-1980s. Much to the surprise of evolutionary biologists, genetic experiments indicate that aging has been selected as an adaptation for its own sake. This poses a conundrum: the impact of aging on individual fitness is wholly negative, so aging must be regarded as a kind of evolutionary altruism. Unlike other forms of evolutionary altruism, aging offers benefits to the community that are weak, and not well focussed on near kin of the altruist. This makes the mechanism challenging to understand and to model. more at http:\\\/\\\/mathforum.org\\\/~josh\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/AgingAdvice.org\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/joshmitteldorf\\\/author\\\/joshmitteldorf\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Is Metformin an Anti-aging Drug? - Josh Mitteldorf","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/2012\/11\/26\/is-metformin-an-anti-aging-drug\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Is Metformin an Anti-aging Drug?","og_description":"As we age, we all lose sensitivity to insulin and begin, gradually or rapidly, to poison our bodies with excess sugar in the blood. This happens to almost everyone, and it is only when the symptom is particularly severe that it is diagnosed as (type 2) diabetes. Metformin is a drug that has been used ... Read more","og_url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/2012\/11\/26\/is-metformin-an-anti-aging-drug\/","og_site_name":"Josh Mitteldorf","article_published_time":"2012-11-26T03:25:54+00:00","article_modified_time":"2012-11-26T16:45:03+00:00","author":"Josh Mitteldorf","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Josh Mitteldorf","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/2012\/11\/26\/is-metformin-an-anti-aging-drug\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/2012\/11\/26\/is-metformin-an-anti-aging-drug\/"},"author":{"name":"Josh Mitteldorf","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/#\/schema\/person\/214c5d1dad9f15c48f03128d5cfccdb1"},"headline":"Is Metformin an Anti-aging Drug?","datePublished":"2012-11-26T03:25:54+00:00","dateModified":"2012-11-26T16:45:03+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/2012\/11\/26\/is-metformin-an-anti-aging-drug\/"},"wordCount":913,"commentCount":32,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/#organization"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/2012\/11\/26\/is-metformin-an-anti-aging-drug\/#respond"]}],"copyrightYear":"2012","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/2012\/11\/26\/is-metformin-an-anti-aging-drug\/","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/2012\/11\/26\/is-metformin-an-anti-aging-drug\/","name":"Is Metformin an Anti-aging Drug? - Josh Mitteldorf","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/#website"},"datePublished":"2012-11-26T03:25:54+00:00","dateModified":"2012-11-26T16:45:03+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/2012\/11\/26\/is-metformin-an-anti-aging-drug\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/2012\/11\/26\/is-metformin-an-anti-aging-drug\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/2012\/11\/26\/is-metformin-an-anti-aging-drug\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Is Metformin an Anti-aging Drug?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/#website","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/","name":"Josh Mitteldorf","description":"Aging Matters","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/#organization","name":"Josh Mitteldorf","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/1058476001.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/09\/1058476001.jpg","width":864,"height":363,"caption":"Josh Mitteldorf"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/#\/schema\/person\/214c5d1dad9f15c48f03128d5cfccdb1","name":"Josh Mitteldorf","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d3a8498f3d727156673030716d233edc57840f110d501b1b523e1780e9043b92?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d3a8498f3d727156673030716d233edc57840f110d501b1b523e1780e9043b92?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d3a8498f3d727156673030716d233edc57840f110d501b1b523e1780e9043b92?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Josh Mitteldorf"},"description":"Josh Mitteldorf studies evolutionary theory of aging using computer simulations. The surprising fact that our bodies are genetically programmed to age and to die offers an enormous opportunity for medical intervention. It may be that therapies to slow the progress of aging need not repair or regenerate anything, but only need to interfere with an existing program of self-destruction. Mitteldorf has taught a weekly yoga class for thirty years. He is an advocate for vigorous self care, including exercise, meditation and caloric restriction. After earning a PhD in astrophysicist, Mitteldorf moved to evolutionary biology as a primary field in 1996. He has taught at Harvard, Berkeley, Bryn Mawr, LaSalle and Temple University. He is presently affiliated with MIT as a visiting scholar. In private life, Mitteldorf is an advocate for election integrity as well as public health. He is an avid amateur musician, playing piano in chamber groups, French horn in community orchestras. His two daughters are among the first children adopted from China in the mid-1980s. Much to the surprise of evolutionary biologists, genetic experiments indicate that aging has been selected as an adaptation for its own sake. This poses a conundrum: the impact of aging on individual fitness is wholly negative, so aging must be regarded as a kind of evolutionary altruism. Unlike other forms of evolutionary altruism, aging offers benefits to the community that are weak, and not well focussed on near kin of the altruist. This makes the mechanism challenging to understand and to model. more at http:\/\/mathforum.org\/~josh","sameAs":["http:\/\/AgingAdvice.org"],"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/author\/joshmitteldorf\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pgtN8h-w","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/65"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}