Common diabetes drug may slow aging by 18 years, study finds

A discovery by an international team of scientists could change the way you think about growing older. Their work suggests that aging might not be an unchangeable process—it could be influenced, slowed, and perhaps even managed.

Surprisingly, the focus isn’t on an exotic new chemical, but on a familiar medication that’s already in millions of homes: metformin, the decades-old drug commonly prescribed for type 2 diabetes.

Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, working with collaborators, have found compelling evidence that metformin may help delay aging at the cellular level in primates.

The results, published in the journal Cell, are drawing attention worldwide for both the scope of the research and its potential impact on human health.

The team studied Cynomolgus monkeys, a primate species with a close genetic and biological connection to humans. This makes them ideal for exploring long-term changes that might also apply to people.

Over a 40-month period, male monkeys received regular doses of metformin. The researchers tracked the animals using brain imaging, blood work, tissue examinations, and advanced molecular tools to detect subtle changes in organs and cells.

What emerged was striking. Monkeys given metformin showed healthier tissues across multiple organ systems, including the liver, lungs, heart, and muscles. The drug appeared to slow brain cortex shrinkage, boost cognitive performance, and reduce bone loss in the jaw—signs that it was doing far more than controlling blood sugar.

Digging deeper, the scientists found that metformin activated the brain’s Nrf2 antioxidant gene network, a system that helps protect cells from stress and damage over time. This suggests that the drug might work directly on nerve cells, shielding them from age-related decline.

To get a complete picture of its effects, the team also used machine learning to evaluate biological aging across organs. They measured several biological clocks, including DNA methylation age, transcriptome age, and protein and metabolite markers in the blood. All showed notable reductions in monkeys treated with metformin. In human terms, the biological age drop was equivalent to about 18 years—a remarkable shift.

The biggest benefits were seen in the brain’s frontal lobe and the liver, two areas especially sensitive to aging. Single-cell analysis showed that nerve cells and liver cells were about five to six years younger biologically than those in untreated monkeys, a change that could translate to more than a decade of youthfulness in human tissues.

“This is a significant step forward in understanding the biology of aging,” said one of the lead researchers. Rather than targeting single age-related illnesses like Alzheimer’s or heart disease, this work aims to address the aging process itself. By doing so, doctors may one day prevent multiple chronic conditions before they start, improving both health and longevity.

While life expectancy continues to climb, the number of people living with age-related diseases is growing too. This research raises the possibility that a widely available drug could help maintain health and quality of life deep into old age.

Though more studies are needed before recommending metformin as an anti-aging therapy for people, the findings set a high standard for future human trials and create a new framework for measuring how well potential treatments work.

Researchers from multiple institutions have found a striking link between a common diabetes drug and longer life. In a study published in the Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences, they compared metformin with sulfonylurea in postmenopausal women who have type 2 diabetes. Women taking metformin were more likely to live to at least 90, a milestone scientists call exceptional longevity.

The analysis showed that metformin users had a 30% lower risk of dying before 90 than those using sulfonylurea. While the finding is compelling, the researchers note the study did not compare metformin with a placebo. They stress that more work is needed to understand why the drug might extend life.

If the benefits seen in monkeys do carry over to people, metformin could become one of the first proven drugs to slow biological aging. That could mean fewer years spent battling multiple chronic diseases and more years of active, healthy living. It could also reduce the enormous healthcare costs linked to age-related conditions.

On a research level, this work provides scientists with a rigorous model for testing other potential anti-aging compounds and measuring their effects at both the organ and cellular level. For the public, it represents a shift in thinking: aging might one day be something you can manage, much like you manage your diet or exercise routine.

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