An Interesting Opinion on Metformin
The evidence for metformin to slightly slow the aging process is all over the map. It is sketchy and contradictory in comparison to the robust results from rapamycin, for example. This isn't preventing a coalition of researchers from pushing forward on a clinical trial with the FDA, but I suspect that trial is much more a means of changing the FDA position on treatments for aging, which are currently not permitted, than an attempt to show results from metformin. Metformin is useful there because it is an established drug with a much lower set of regulatory barriers for reuse in other contexts, making it harder for regulators to throw roadblocks in the way of a trial to treat aging.
A researcher offers an interesting opinion on metformin in this open access paper. In his view the evidence for modestly reduced cancer rates resulting from metformin use is already good enough that, given the very low cost of the drug, it should be formally adopted and verified for cancer prevention in the general population. This is perhaps best considered in the context of the debate of two years ago over whether rapamycin extends life by reducing cancer risk or slowing aging:
During the last decade, there has been a burst of interest in the antidiabetic biguanide metformin as a candidate drug for cancer chemoprevention. Analysis of the available data has shown that the efficacy of cancer preventive effect of metformin (MF) and another biguanides, buformin (BF) and phenformin (PF), has been studied in relation to total tumor incidence and to 17 target organs, in 21 various strains of mice, 4 strains of rats and 1 strain of hamsters in a wide range of doses and treatment regimens. In the majority of cases (86%) the treatment with biguanides leads to inhibition of carcinogenesis. In 14% of the cases inhibitory effect of the drugs was not observed. It is very important to note that there was no any case of stimulation of carcinogenesis by antidiabetic biguanides.The history of biguanides in oncology started in the 1970s, is rather dramatic, and seems not to come to "a happy end" at the present time. The first publications in 1974-1982 showing the high potential of PF and BF in prevention of spontaneous and induced carcinogenesis were not met an interest adequate to the degree of real importance of these finding. Whereas both in vitro and in vivo experiments provide new evidence of anti-carcinogenic potential of biguanides, and the majority of clinical observations clearly demonstrates protective effect of MF in relation to many localization of cancer, there are some publications on results of clinical trials that are inconclusive and sometime were demonstrated adverse effect of MF. Recently a researcher explaining possible reasons for this inconsistency cited the rather sardonic comment of a leading scientist in the field: "The problem with metformin is it's cheap, it's widely available, it has a great safety profile, and anyone can use it". Really, it is difficult to say better... In PubMed, under the words such as "metformin and cancer" the number of indexed papers were increasing exponentially from zero in 1990 to more than 2500 last September. Among them around 185 reviews on the topic were published just in the last 5 years. There are too many works and still no final conclusion. It may be the time to make this long story short; we believe that efficacy of MF should be evaluated according to criteria, experience and rules of the WHO International Agency for Research on Cancer.
Hi all !
Interesting opinion article. I feel metformin or not, rapamycin or not, coffee beans or not, CR or not, these solutions are lackluster but better than nothing (just like Aminoguanidine AGE reducer and crosslinker breaker (that apparently doesn't even do anything in rat's age), Benfothiamine, Carnosine AGE reducer or Alagebrium). Metformin has a good effect in diabetes control, but much like these others can't stop the tide of secondary effects from (sugar glycation ECM crosslinks damage from AGE acceleration in) excessive blood glucose levels from diabetes.
My father (who was diabetes type II since 15 years or more) decided had enough with the doctor-prescription to take metformin and stopped taking it (to my bad surprise and certain fear for his health), but instead decided to try something else :
Berberine. Apparently berberine is quite good (and natural homeopathic) in diabetes and is powerful, he told me things are in check for his glycemia and it Works for him (better?) than metformin. So for now he's on that and wants to stop being on metformin. I guess if it fails later on, he will be back on the synthetic metformin.
Other things he told me really helped with the glucose control : exercise (walking up stairs many times) and muscle building (using a bull worker for the arms, both exercise and muscle formation means higher IGF levels, blood and brain IGF-1/R (Insulin growth-Factor-1/Receptor) is insulin-based control, thus alters insulin response in diabetes. Normally, excess IGF would increase insulin output which is bad (has shown where centenarians have low adequate IGF levels but the most brain demented are lacking IGF-1 levels and brain IGF-1 receptors equal to brain neuron survival/neurogenesis (BDNF...)), but in the case of low insulin output from pancreatic Beta-Cells it is a favorable outcome when faulty damaged/dead diabetic beta-cells don't produce enough insulin to lower blood glucose) and deep rest (sleep is so underated, it has a sizeable effect almongst all disease because of neuron and endocrinal brain control of much of the diseases progression. Brain neuronal (firing) recalibration/ECG recalib, growth hormone release phase during deep sleep phase and neurogenesis/brain junk excretion during sleep phases such as REM dreaming (rapid eye motion)), we need deep 7 hour sleep Every night to counter certain aging effects. Centenarians studies showed that centenarians are monotonic and strict in their sleep parterns : sleep exactly from 00:00 am to 7 am, every night, never miss or change that pattern; this means the CREB/circadian clock cycles are in-tune and has powerful healing effect (as shown by urinary excretion melatonin levels in centenarians being equal to young adults for good deep sleep)).
There is a old chinese saying from a Chinese (fake) double-centenarian herbalist named
Li Ching-Yuen who lived supposedly to 256 (his false claim was found out to be made-up/exaggerated for Chinese lore/tourism-making cash increase; and was about 100-110 at death) :
"Retain a calm heart, sit like a turtle, walk swiftly like a pigeon, and sleep like a dog".
So go walk, have exercise, lose belly fat, build skeletal muscle (alter brown/white adipose tissue and skeletal muscle glucose/insulin control) and sleep deep non-stop full 7 hours (brain neuron and IGF-R insulin and blood glucose control). And take metformin or berberine. All help out ease the devastating effect of diabetes.
Also, Berberine inhibits cancer quite well (I would wager a natural homeopathic such as Berberine salt extracted from herbs alkaloids is better against cancer than a synthetic like metformin and with fewer side effects).
1. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2410097/
2. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21269266
3. http://www.integrativeoncology-essentials.com/an-over-the-counter-ancient-medicinal-berberine-fights-cancer-and-diabetes