Will Metformin Really Make Sam Altman Live Longer? Let’s Examine The Evidence!
Metformin is no one-trick pony, but extending lifespan is not one of its tricks
What is new?
Over the past few months, the popular press has been celebrating the diabetes drug Metformin as a cheap and safe pill that keeps you younger for longer. A 9-year-old study suggested that diabetics on metformin live longer than non-diabetics. A more recent replication study says “nonsense”.
Why it matters
The landmark trial “Targeting Aging With Metformin”, supposed to road-test the drug for non-diabetics, never took off. It has been comatose for the past 10 years. The press doesn’t care. The idea of a cheap and safe Cinderella drug hiding in diabetics’ medicine cabinets is just too savory to ignore. Particularly when demi-god techies like Sam Altman publicly admit to using it for its off-label ‘benefit’.
So, what are you supposed to do?
Let’s test-drive the miracle drug idea on the roads of scientific evidence. After that, you’ll know how to monitor its efficacy if you are still inclined to try it, and you’ll know how a less synthetic alternative stacks up favorably against metformin.
