Miracle Drug Metformin May Hold Longevity Secrets

A drug that's commonly used to treat diabetes may hold the secret to longevity, according to a recent study.

Researchers at Cardiff University found that this anti-aging drug, called Metformin, could extend our life spans to in the 100s, according to the New Zealand Herald.

"If you target an ageing process and you slow down ageing then you slow down all the diseases and pathology of ageing as well. That's revolutionary. That's never happened before," said Professor Gordon Lithgow of the Buck Institute for Research on Ageing in California who is also a Scottish aging expert. 

The drug, which is commonly used by diabetic patients, costs less than a dollar to manufacture, according to The Telegraph, and was first tested on roundworms by Belgian scientists, yielding encouraging results.

The drug helps the progression of certain diseases in the body slow down--boosting longevity and overall health and wellness. It also helps increase oxygen flow on the cellular level, which, in turn, slows, cell division and keeps the body functioning properly by reducing age-related changes, according to Fox News.

Now, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is working to proceed with a clinical trial that will begin as early as next year, involving 3,000 participants between the ages of 70 and 80 from various U.S. locations. The trial is expected to run for five to seven years, res archers say. 

The study is published in the journal Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism.

Related Articles

Hearts Don't Age The Same, Based On Gender

For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).