Five treatments that could prolong your lifespan

For decades, scientists have been researching ways to increase healthy lifespan in humans. Here are five treatments they’ve considered and what they found.

1. Rapamycin

First discovered in bacteria from a soil sample on Easter Island, rapamycin is an FDA-approved drug prescribed to transplant recipients in need of immune suppression. Surprisingly, rapamycin has been found to boost immunity, reduce age-related inflammation, and improve heart function, leading to a prolongation of healthy lifespan in mice. According to Matt Kaeberlein, a geroscientist (specialist in aging), rapamycin is the most promising pharmaceutical intervention that targets aging. However, it cannot necessarily extend lifespan by two or three decades. “I do think there’s reason to believe that rapamycin could improve several age-related health problems, including boosting immune function and protecting against dementia, cancers, and heart disease,” he says. The scientific community remains cautious. Rapamycin is approved to prevent organ transplant rejection; it is not approved as a treatment for aging. Questions remain about potential side effects, including serious ones such as increased risk of developing lymphoma and increased susceptibility to infections. “If you take a compound like that for a few decades, there may be downstream effect — a small epidemic of lymphoma, perhaps,” said geriatrician Dr. Peter Boling. “We still don’t know about all of the hidden dangers. As hopeful as we might be, we have to be aware of the limitations,” he adds.

2. Metformin

This is an anti-diabetes drug that is prescribed to millions for its effect on insulin and glucose levels. However, metformin also appears to target aging-related biological pathways in the body. Researchers think the anti-aging mechanisms of metformin may be linked to its influence on inflammatory cellular processes. In animal models, metformin has been shown to extend lifespan and protect against age-related diseases, but it is different from rapamycin in that the effect is small or even non-existent. Scientists speculate that many drugs used to treat chronic diseases target aging as well. Kaeberlein thinks metformin is an interesting example. In diabetics, pre-diabetics, and people with significant metabolic syndrome, metformin clearly increases survival by addressing the underlying medical condition. However, it is not clear whether metformin can extend lifespan in people who exercise regularly and are at a healthy weight. The FDA has approved a clinical trial called TAME (Targeting Aging with Metformin) which will evaluate whether metformin can delay age-related conditions such as Alzheimer’s, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. The trial, which will cost $55 million, aims not to find solutions that will help people live to 120, but rather to add healthy years to a person’s lifespan. “Like metformin, several promising drugs show great potential and await trials. If successful, the TAME trial would give the pharmaceutical industry impetus to advance these drugs and transform aging from a period of sickness to a time of extended vitality,” says the American Federation for Aging Research.

3. Calorie restriction

Animal research has shown that a diet with fewer calories but sufficient nutrients can delay age-associated health conditions in mice and rats. Studies in rhesus monkeys at the University of Wisconsin have shown that 30 percent fewer calories resulted in a couple of years above average lifespan. However, the calorie-restricted monkeys had fewer age-related health conditions compared to the control group. However, researchers say the findings are contradictory. A study on rhesus monkeys at the U.S. National Institute on Aging found restricting calories led to improvements in health but no prolongation of lifespan. Some people have decided not to wait for scientific results and have taken things into their own hands. Well-known entrepreneur and author of the book Bulletproof Diet, Dave Asprey, has turned into a “bio-hacker” and is undertaking a number of biological interventions, including diet and supplements, with an intention to live to 180 years. “There is no compelling evidence caloric restriction will work with people,” says Doug Gray, a molecular biologist at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. Scientists warn that extreme longevity could be depressing and the focus should be on healthspan rather than lifespan. “Life might seem longer, but it wouldn’t necessarily be longer,” notes one researcher.

4. Gene-editing

This is a type of genetic engineering in which DNA is added, removed, replaced, or modified. A report in the journal Nature Medicine said that the gene-editing tool CRISPR-Cas9 could be used to suppress accelerated aging in mice with a rare genetic disorder called progeria which is associated with rapid aging. Two months following gene therapy, the progeria mice had improved activity and strength, better cardiac health, and a 25 percent increase in lifespan. However, scientists do not believe the treatment is ready to be used in humans just yet. “Even though we have successfully mapped the human genome, and it’s technically possible to remove a gene sequence and replace it, we have yet to successfully edit genes in a complex organism. Many people don’t want to eat food containing genetically-modified organisms, let alone become one,” says Boling. “I don’t think we have a clear handle on a special gene sequence that would essentially change the aging process. I would want to see if we could do it in a limited and focused way without undue downstream consequences,” he adds.

5. Young blood

As creepy as it sounds, blood from young mice given to old mice can reverse signs of aging, according to several studies. One group at the University of California, Berkeley, demonstrated in 2018 that old mice who received young blood had improved muscle repair and other benefits. Also, when young mice were given blood from old mice, they performed poorly on strength tests. A 2017 Stanford University group conducted studies in humans. They injected blood plasma from 18- to 30-year-olds into patients with mild to moderate symptoms of Alzheimer’s. The researchers found that the treatment helped the older individuals regain some ability to perform activities of daily living and remember medication schedules and meal preparation. However, this was a small trial with only 9 patients and 9 controls. Larger studies are needed to assess effectiveness and safety. At present, the FDA does not endorse these treatments. In a statement, the FDA expressed “significant public health concerns” about clinics that use blood from young donors to treat age-related conditions such as memory loss, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and PTSD. “Simply put, we’re concerned that some patients are being preyed upon by unscrupulous actors touting treatments of plasma from young donors as cures and remedies. Such treatments have no proven clinical benefits for the uses for which these clinics are advertising them and are potentially harmful,” warned the FDA. “There are reports of bad actors charging thousands of dollars for infusions that are unproven and not guided by evidence from adequate and well-controlled trials.”