A thread comparing various Type II Diabetes drugs:
Where as Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome can be thought of as diseases of accelerated aging, some diabetic medication has been used by healthy individuals with life extension in mind. I will write a brief review of some diabetes medications including common side-effects, mechanism of action, and a review of studies on possible effects on life extension.
Metformin
On History: Metformin is a biguanide class anti-diabetic drug; the biguanide class of drugs was developped from French Lilac which had been used throughout the Middle Ages to combat Diabetes. Its structure was first published in 1957, however it was not marketed in the US until 1994.
On Mechanism of Action: The mechanism of action of metformin is not entirely clear. Most clear is its effect in the downregulation of the liver's production of glucose. It also decreases glucose absorption from the GI tract and increases insulin sensitivity.
On Effects: Metformin has been shown significantly decrease diabetes related risk of death and all cause mortality in overweight diabetic patients (42 and 36% respectively). *
Metformin also does not induce hypoglycemia or cause weight gain. In fact it caused weight loss of 2.7kg over 4 months in 10 obese diabetic patients.[http://www.ncbi.nlm....ubmed/7623903]*[/url]
Metformin is the only diabetic drug proven to help with the cardiovascular complications of diabetes.*
Metformin significantly improves (decreases) insulin resistance.
On Adverse Effects:
GI Distress: Diahrea & Nausea/Vomitting: In a clinical trial of 286 subjects, 53.2% of the 141 who were given immediate-release metformin (as opposed to placebo) reported diarrhea, versus 11.7% for placebo, and 25.5% reported nausea/vomiting, versus 8.3% for those on placebo.
Lactic acidosis: The build up of lactic acid in the body normally seen in those with poor liver or kidney function.
On LE: Metformin prolonged the mean life span of HER-2/neu transgenic mice by 8% (p<0.05), the mean life span of last 10% survivors by 13.1%.
http://www.sciencedi...7210e5a23de299b
I as I have more time I will continue to update this first page with a more complete review and other drugs. Wanted to put something up now, but more later.
Edited by lucid, 27 May 2008 - 05:29 PM.
