A well-written story out of the most recent issue of GEN Biotechnology:
When the drama that has besmirched the field of aging research is set aside, some impressive science underlying the antiaging industry can be unpacked. But in a field shrouded in quasi cures, some sold by leading scientists, a deep dive requires perpetual questioning of scientific integrity.
[Richard] Miller’s ITP [Interventions testing program] has identified at least five compounds that show promise in mice. Rapamycin extended lifespan in males and females (at three different doses, three times in a row), even when started in middle age. Other lifespan extension drugs identified by the ITP include acarbose, which works better in males than in females; 17α-estradiol; and glycine. Nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA), the first compound evaluated by the ITP, is an anti-inflammatory with antioxidant properties, which works only in male mice. The study’s most recent hit is canagliflozin, a drug that blocks the kidney’s ability to reabsorb secreted glucose. Unpublished data suggest that canagliflozin improves some other aspects of late life pathology.
None of the effects seen with these drug candidates could be achieved by diet alteration, says Miller. “People have a fantasy that if you just stop eating, and become calorically restricted, you’ll live a long time. It’s the same fantasy that if you could just flap your arms fast enough, you could fly,” he says. Humans have inbuilt mechanisms that prevent them from starving to death, says Miller, nor do they have the discipline necessary to lose 40% of their body weight, and keep it off. This is not a practical clinical solution, he says.
Read the full article at the link below:
https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/genbio.2022.29013.jlm