According to a study published on September 2024, the commonly used diabetes drug Metformin may be able slow the aging of male primate brains. This study followed 12 aged male Cynomolgus Monkeys for over half their expected maximum life span and accounted Meformin to be protective of brain function while also delaying some age-related changes.
A Long-Studied Drug with New Potential
Metformin has been in use to control blood sugar among patients with type 2 diabetes for more than six decades and ranks as the second most commonly prescribed medication in America. Still, research has for many years been touting the potential benefits of Metformin beyond diabetes — like cancer, cardiovascular diseases and even aging. Previous work in worms, rodents and people with diabetes hinted that it might have anti-ageing benefits but this new study is the first to specifically investigate those effects directly in primates.
Study Design and Results
Conducted by Guanghui Liu of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the study gave 12 elderly male monkeys Metformin once daily–consistent with a standard human dose for controlling diabetes. Sixteen other aged monkeys and 18 younger ones were a control group. The study spanned 40 months (equivalent to ~13 human years) and involved an array of 79 tissues/organs, MRI scans, routine physical exams as well as molecular analysis.
Metformin Slows Brain Ageing : The most important discovery was that Metformin reduced the age-related loss of brain function. The brains of the treated monkeys looked like those in animals about 6 years younger, or around 18 years in human terms. Furthermore, the drug also shortened biological aging in other tissues like lung and liver, kidney or skin tissue while decreasing chronic inflammation — a well-known hallmark of aging.
The Role of NRF2 in Brain Protection
One of the most important findings was that a protein called NRF2 is activated in the brains of these monkeys. NRF2 to protect cells against oxidative and inflammatory damage and researchers believe this activation may explain how Metformin protects neurons and delays brain aging.
Next Steps: Testing in Humans
Although these findings are encouraging, more work is required. The research included only a dozen male monkeys, and experts caution that it’s unclear what Metformin would achieve in females. To tackle these questions, Liu and others have now initiated a 120-person trial to quantify Metformin’s anti-aging effects in humans (which will also include extensive genetic analyses), while a larger 3,000-person trial is on the drawing board for later.
Metformin’s potential to slow aging offers hope for a low-cost, widely accessible treatment to help people maintain cognitive function and good health into old age.