This video answers questions like What Metformin Is, How Metformin Works, Is Metformin Safe and does Metformin increase lifespan. We also look at the extensive research into Metformin to discuss the idea that Metformin improves longevity in humans.
What is metformin and can it help you to live longer in this video we’ll be discussing what metformin is how metformin works is metformin safe and does metformin increase lifespan so that by the end of this video you’ll know whether or not you should be taking metformin to improve your health but first g’day legends welcome back to my youtube channel if you’re new
Here my name is jessie crowe and i’m the traveling scientist currently living here in melbourne australia and on this channel we explore scientific techniques and ideas to help you live a smarter happier and healthier life so what is metformin metformin also known as glucophage is a drug that’s used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes it works by reducing your
Blood glucose levels and also suppressing your appetite so it can help to control your blood sugar levels and it can also help you to lose weight but there’s a third reason that people have been using metformin lately because it’s believed that metformin could potentially increase your lifespan so how exactly does metformin work well metformin works in mysterious
Ways and by mysterious i mean really freaking complicated so i’m going to try and simplify it for you right here first metformin inhibits mitochondrial complex 1 which reduces the energy production in cells second metformin activates a protein called ampk which suppresses the production of reactive oxygen species thereby reducing inflammation oxidative stress
Throughout the body third that ampk also down regulates the mtor signaling pathway in a mechanism of action similar to rapamycin i made a video all about that as well you can check that out just up here but essentially the inhibition of the mtor signaling pathway promotes the renewal of healthy cells and reduces the proliferation of damaged and unwanted cells
Those three mechanisms allow metformin to reduce your blood glucose levels to suppress inflammation and oxidative stress around the body and it also promotes the repair and renewal of various organs and tissues throughout your body so metformin doesn’t just help with diabetes it also greatly improves your overall health so what does the research say well let me
Tell you about this the 2014 research study proved that taking metformin reduces your risk of suffering from heart attack and stroke a 2018 review showed that taking metformin reduces your risk of suffering from alzheimer’s and dementia and a 2020 review suggested that taking metformin could reduce your risk of suffering from various cancers finally a 2021 review
Of many different metformin studies concluded with this the evidence that metformin increases lifespan remains controversial however via its ability to reduce early mortality associated with various diseases including diabetes cardiovascular disease cognitive decline and cancer metformin can improve health span thereby extending the period of life spent in good
Health so even if metformin doesn’t directly increase the length of your life it indirectly helps you to live longer and healthier by protecting you from a bunch of age-related diseases hell yeah but is it safe to take metformin metformin is taken daily by millions of people around the world so i think it’s gonna be okay just kidding there’s actually a few things
You should know before you start taking metformin first remember that metformin lowers blood sugar so if you take it on an empty stomach it could lead to hypoglycemia now nobody wants that so make sure you’re taking metformin with or after some food metformin can also in some rare cases lead to lactic acidosis which is a buildup of lactic acid in the blood and it
Makes you feel like crap so if you’re taking metformin and you feel like crap stop taking metformin and talk to your doctor about it so should you take metformin to live longer look metformin is a drug to treat type 2 diabetes but people who take metformin also get a bunch of other bonus health benefits so if you’re already taking metformin congratulations it’s
Probably doing wonders for your overall health and if you don’t take metformin and you don’t have type 2 diabetes well maybe it’s worth trying out talk to your doctor about it because it could help you to live a longer happier and healthier life alternatively this video is part of a series of many videos all about different life extending treatments so you can
Check those out just make sure you subscribe to the traveling scientist and if you have any questions or experience with metformin let us know about it in the comment section down below i’ll catch you in the next one legends cheers
Transcribed from video
How Does Metformin Work? By The Travelling Scientist
