More good news on acarbose from the University of Washington researchers:
Unlike rapamycin, acarbose rescues disease phenotypes independently of mTOR inhibition. Furthermore, rapamycin and acarbose have additive effects in delaying neurological symptoms and increasing maximum lifespan in Ndufs4-/- mice.
acarbose remodels the intestinal microbiome and alters the production of short chain fatty acids. Supplementation with tributyrin, a source of butyric acid, recapitulates some effects of acarbose on lifespan and disease progression
They seem to be saying the the dominant mode of action of acarbose is the gut microbiome alteration and its production of SCFA. A keto diet has this effect too. It’d love to see a comparison, but I’ve found no research on this.
Does it depend on whether you administer it with starch or does it work even if you do pure keto?