Popular diabetes drug metformin may slow aging, study finds

BOSTON – A new study finds metformin, a popular diabetes drug that's taken by millions of Americans, may slow aging. 

Metformin is taken by mouth and is often the first medication chosen to control blood sugar in type 2 diabetes.  

Previous studies on "lower order" species have found that it can delay the onset of age-related diseases.  

Now a new study, performed on primates, reaffirms that the drug can slow organ aging, including aging of the brain.  

Researchers in China examined middle-aged male monkeys and found that those given a daily dose of metformin over three years experienced slower aging of the kidneys, lungs, and skin by up to five years, and slowed aging of the brain by up to six years.  

They hope to eventually conduct human trials to see if the drug can slow aging people.

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Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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