How Metformin Slows Aging
10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
Metformin And How It Slows Down Aging
That’s a bold claim for a title, but the scientific consensus is clear, and this Research Review Monday we’re going to take a look at exactly that!
Metformin is a common diabetes-management drug, used to lower blood sugar levels in people who either don’t have enough insulin or the insulin isn’t being recognized well enough by the body.
However, it also slows aging, which is a quality it’s also been studied for for more than a decade. We’ll look at some of the more recent research, though. Let’s kick off with an initial broad statement, from the paper “The Use of Metformin to Increase the Human Healthspan”, as part of the “Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology” series:
In recent years, more attention has been paid to the possibility of using metformin as an anti-aging drug. It was shown to significantly increase the lifespan in some model organisms and delay the onset of age-associated declines. Growing amounts of evidence from clinical trials suggest that metformin can effectively reduce the risk of many age-related diseases and conditions, including cardiometabolic disorders, neurodegeneration, chronic inflammation and frailty.
How does it work?
That’s still being studied, but the scientific consensus is that it works by inducing hormesis—the process by which minor stress signals cells to start repairing themselves. How does it induce that hormesis? Again, still being studied, but it appears to do it by activating a specific enzyme; namely, the AMP-activated protein kinase:
Read: Metformin-enhances resilience via hormesis
It also has been found to slow aging by means of an anti-inflammatory effect, as a bonus!
Any bad news?
Well, firstly, in most places it’s only prescribed for diabetes management, not for healthy life extension. A lot of anti-aging enthusiasts have turned to the grey market online to get it, and we can’t recommend that.
Secondly, it does have some limitations:
- Its bioavailability isn’t great in tablet form (the form in which it is most commonly given)
- It has quite a short elimination half-life (around 6 hours), which makes it great to fix transient hyperglycemia in diabetics—job done and it’s out—but presents a logistical challenge when it comes to something so pernicious as aging.
- Some people are non-responders (a non-responder, in medicine, is someone for whom a drug simply doesn’t work, for no obvious reason)
Want to know more? Check out:
Metformin in aging and aging-related diseases: clinical applications and relevant mechanism
Don’t Forget…
Did you arrive here from our newsletter? Don’t forget to return to the email to continue learning!
Recommended
Learn to Age Gracefully
Join the 98k+ American women taking control of their health & aging with our 100% free (and fun!) daily emails:
-
Why do some people need less sleep than others? A gene variation could have something to do with it
10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
Have you ever noticed how some people bounce out of bed after just a few hours of sleep, while others can barely function without a solid eight hours?
Take Margaret Thatcher, for example. The former British prime minister was known for sleeping just four hours a night. She worked late, rose early, and seemed to thrive on little sleep.
But for most of us, that kind of sleep schedule would be disastrous. We’d be groggy, unfocused, and reaching for sugary snacks and caffeinated drinks by mid-morning.
So why do some people seem to need less sleep than others? It’s a question that’s fascinated scientists for years. Here’s what we know so far.
Maria Korneeva/Getty Images Natural short sleepers
There is a small group of people who don’t need much sleep. We call them natural short sleepers. They can function perfectly well on just four to six hours of sleep each night, often for their entire lives.
Generally they don’t feel tired, they don’t nap, and they don’t suffer the usual negative consequences of sleep deprivation. Scientists call this the natural short sleep phenotype – a biological trait that allows people to get all the benefits of sleep in less time.
In 2010 researchers discovered genetic mutations that help explain this phenomenon. Natural short sleepers carry rare variants in certain genes, which seem to make their sleep more efficient.
More recently, a 2025 study assessed a woman in her 70s with one of these rare mutations. Despite sleeping just six hours a night for most of her life, she remained physically healthy, mentally sharp, and led a full, active life. Her body, it seems, was simply wired to need less sleep.
We’re still learning about how common these genetic mutations are and why they occur.
Not everyone who sleeps less is a natural short sleeper
But here’s the catch: most people who think they’re natural short sleepers aren’t. They’re just chronically sleep-deprived. Often, their short sleep is due to long work hours, social commitments, or a belief sleeping less is a sign of strength or productivity.
In today’s hustle culture, it’s common to hear people boast about getting by on only a few hours of sleep. But for the average person, that’s not sustainable.
The effects of short sleep build up over time, creating what’s known as a “sleep debt”. This can lead to poor concentration, mood swings, micro-sleeps (brief lapses into sleep), reduced performance and even long-term health risks. For example, short sleep has been linked to an increased risk of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease (heart disease and stroke).
The weekend catch-up dilemma
To make up for lost sleep during the week, many people try to “catch up” on weekends.
This can help repay some of the sleep debt that has accumulated in the short term. Research suggests getting one to two extra hours of sleep on the weekend or taking naps when possible may help reduce the negative effects of short sleep.
However, it’s not a perfect fix. Weekend catch-up sleep and naps may not fully resolve sleep debt. The topic remains one of ongoing scientific debate.
A recent large study suggested weekend catch-up sleep may not offset the cardiovascular risks associated with chronic short sleep.
Catching up on sleep on the weekends may not fully resolve your ‘sleep debt’. Ground Picture/Shutterstock What’s more, large swings in sleep timing can disrupt your body’s internal clock, and sleeping in too much on weekends may make it harder to fall asleep on Sunday night, which can mean starting the working week less rested.
Increasing evidence indicates repeated cycles of irregular sleep may have an important influence on general health and the risk of early death, potentially even more so than how long we sleep for.
Ultimately, while moderate catch-up sleep might offer some benefits, it’s no substitute for consistent, high-quality sleep throughout the week. That said, maintaining such regularity can be particularly challenging for people with non-traditional schedules, such as shift workers.
So, was Thatcher a true natural short sleeper?
It’s hard to say. Some reports suggest she napped during the day in the back of a car between meetings. That could mean she was simply sleep-deprived and compensating for an accumulated sleep debt when she could.
Separate to whether someone is a natural short sleeper, there are a range of other reasons people may need more or less sleep than others. Factors such as age and underlying health conditions can significantly influence sleep requirements.
For example, older adults often experience changes in their circadian rhythms and are more likely to suffer from fragmented sleep due to conditions such as arthritis or cardiovascular disease.
Sleep needs vary from person to person, and while a lucky few can thrive on less, most of us need seven to nine hours a night to feel and function our best. If you’re regularly skimping on sleep and relying on weekends to catch up, it might be time to rethink your routine. After all, sleep isn’t a luxury – it’s a biological necessity.
Kelly Sansom, Research Associate, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University; Research Associate, Centre for Healthy Ageing, Murdoch University and Peter Eastwood, Deputy Vice Chancellor, Research and Innovation, Murdoch University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Share This Post
-
Why Do We Have Pores, And Could We Not?
10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
It’s Q&A Day at 10almonds!
Have a question or a request? We love to hear from you!
In cases where we’ve already covered something, we might link to what we wrote before, but will always be happy to revisit any of our topics again in the future too—there’s always more to say!
As ever: if the question/request can be answered briefly, we’ll do it here in our Q&A Thursday edition. If not, we’ll make a main feature of it shortly afterwards!
So, no question/request too big or small
❝Do we really need pores, and why are they bigger on the face?❞
Pores secrete sweat or sebum (there are different kinds of pores for each).
If we didn’t have sweat pores, we’d be unable to sweat, which superficially may seem like a bonus, but it’d make us prone to overheating (like dogs, pigs, and other mammals that cannot sweat).
If we didn’t have sebum pores (usually called hair follicles, which are supplied by a sebaceous gland), we’d be completely hairless, and also unable to supply our skin with natural oils that keep it healthy. So we’d have no hair and very unhappy skin.
Which is ironic, because to believe beauty magazines, we must at all costs minimize our pores (and indeed, interventions like botox* can kill them).
*Let’s give that its full name though:
Suffice it to say, we do not recommend getting injected with neurotoxins unless it is truly necessary to ward off a greater harm. That said, we’re not the boss of you, and the safety profile is better than you might expect: How Safe Is Botox, Really? ← at least in the short term; if people are getting monthly top-ups for many years, the outcomes may be different.
As for being bigger on the face, they need not be, but sebaceous glands are more active and numerous there, being most active and numerous in the face/forehead—which is why oily skin is more likely to appear there than other parts of the body.
If your facial sebaceous glands are too active for your liking…
…there are ways to reduce that, a simple and relatively gentle way (relative, for example, botox) is with retinoids, including retinols or retinoic acids. Here’s some of the science of that; the paper is about treating acne, but the mechanism of action is the same (down-regulating the sebaceous glands’ action):
The potential side-effects, however were noted as:
- Cheilitis
- Desquamation of the skin
- Pruritus
Which, in translation from sciencese, means:
- Chapped lips
- Flaky skin
- Itchiness
Which aren’t necessarily fun, which is why with retinoids are best taken in very small doses at first to see how your skin reacts.
Remember when we said what your skin would be like without pores? This is what would happen, only much worse.
Take care!
Share This Post
-
Beetroot vs Cauliflower – Which is Healthier?
10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
Our Verdict
When comparing beetroot to cauliflower, we picked the beetroot.
Why?
Both are great! But…
In terms of macros, beetroot has more fiber and carbs for about the same protein, winning in this category.
In the category of vitamins, beetroot has more of vitamins A, B7, and B9, while cauliflower has more of vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, C, E, and K, winning this round.
Looking at minerals, beetroot has more copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, potassium, selenium, and zinc, while cauliflower has more calcium, yielding a 7:1 win to beetroot here.
In other considerations, both are abundant sources of polyphenols, and beetroot has betalains while cauliflower has sulforaphane, both of which are great (see the “learn more” links below for details), so we’re calling this round a tie.
Adding up the sections makes for an overall win for beetroot, but by all means do enjoy either or both, as diversity is best!
Want to learn more?
You might like:
- Beetroot For More Than Just Your Blood Pressure
- Broccoli Sprouts & Sulforaphane ← this article talks mostly about broccoli sprouts rather than cauliflower sprouts, but sprouts of any cultivar of Brassica oleracea (e.g. Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, etc) are great for sulforaphane
Enjoy!
Share This Post
Related Posts
-
How Safe Is Botox, Really?
10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
Botox is the brand name of a drug made from botulinum toxin type A, which is made by the bacteria Clostridium botulinum.
This is the same toxin responsible for botulism, so the fact it even has a brand name might be considered a fun sign of where we are as a species.
However! It’s certainly popular, so let’s examine the science.
Cosmetic or therapeutic?
Being as it is a paralytic agent, it’s injected into muscles, usually of the face, usually to temporarily reduce the appearance of wrinkles.
- Sometimes this is because people don’t like to have wrinkles
- Sometimes this is because people have strabismus (misaligned eyes) or blepharospasm (twitching eyes) and the same paralysing agent can fix that
The former category is the most common, by far, but the latter category is overrepresented when it comes to reported adverse effects, i.e., people who have it to treat those conditions, are more likely to report problems. There are two main ways we can interpret that, if we want to hypothesize about causality:
- people who have Botox for therapeutic rather than cosmetic reasons are more likely to experience adverse effects, perhaps because of the underlying condition being treated (actual causality)
- people who have Botox for cosmetic rather than therapeutic reasons were happier to be having it in the first place, and thus less likely to report adverse effects if experienced (reporting bias)
You can read about the stats behind this, here:
We may note that in some cases, cosmetic procedures could be considered therapeutic, if it improves someone’s mental health, but even then there is a distinction.
For cosmetic surgery, for example, satisfaction rates vary thus:
- In “type change” (e.g. rhinoplasty), more psychological adjustment is needed, but when it’s all over, the person has a new nose and, statistically speaking, is usually happy with it.
- In “restorative” (e.g. facelift), less psychological adjustment is needed (as it’s just a return to a previous state), so a person will usually be happy quickly, but ultimately it is merely “kicking the can down the road” if the underlying problem is “fear of aging”, for example. In such a case, likely talking therapy would be beneficial—whether in place of, or alongside, cosmetic surgery.
For more details, see: The Many Faces Of Cosmetic Surgery
For Botox, this is of course “restorative”, and thus (per the science, which we link above) is less likely to result in any lasting improvement in mental health.
And what are the risks?
The recorded possible side effects are quite a laundry list:
- difficulty swallowing
- drooping eyelid
- neck weakness
- nausea
- vomiting
- blurred vision
- general or marked weakness
- difficulty chewing
- hoarseness
- edema
- difficulty speaking
- heart palpitations
But, anyone who has ever read the information leaflet that comes with pretty much any medication will note that in order to cover bases, anything that got reported, even if there was no evidence of association, gets listed.
With this in mind, a large review of evidence (with a total n=42,405) found:
❝…in all enrolled facial rejuvenation studies, patients in the BTX-A group had significantly more AEs than those patients in the placebo group (RR = 1.24; 95 % CI 1.07-1.43; p = 0.003).
For crow’s feet lines injection analysis, the BTX-A group did not exhibit any significant increase in AEs compared with the control group (RR = 1.19; 95 % CI 0.96-1.48; p = 0.12), except in injection site hematoma (RR = 2.14; 95 % CI 1.13-4.07; p = 0.02) in the treatment group.
For frown wrinkle injection analysis, AEs were significantly observed in the BTX-A group (RR = 1.47; 95 % CI 1.23-1.77; p < 0.0001), particularly headaches (RR = 1.53; 95 % CI 1.15-2.03; p = 0.003), eyelid ptosis (RR = 5.56; 95 % CI 1.68-18.38; p = 0.005), and heavy eyelids (RR = 6.94; 95 % CI 1.27-37.93; p = 0.03).❞
AE = adverse event
Translating those stats from sciencese, we can summarize in broad terms* as follows:
- In total, the chance of adverse effects was 24% higher than placebo
- For crow’s feet wrinkle treatments, there was no significant increase, except in the case of injection site hematoma (2x increased risk compared to placebo), which is a little unsightly but is temporary and harmless
- For frown line wrinkle treatments, there as a 53% increased chance of headaches, and a 6x increased chance of heavy/drooping eyelids (which is really not too surprising if you inject a paralysing agent into the muscles next to the muscles that hold them up)
*we also rounded and averaged some figures for readability
In general, these risks have been considered acceptable by the medical establishment as a whole, for example:
❝Treatment with Botox is simple, safe and an effective modality for reduction of forehead wrinkles. It offers an alternative management in a cost-effective way when compared to surgical procedures.❞
Read in full: An Evaluation of Use of Botulinum Toxin Type A in the Management of Dynamic Forehead Wrinkles – A Clinical Study
Your own opinion of the acceptability of these risks may vary, of course.
But watch out!
Botox, administered skillfully by a professional, has a very different risk profile to fake Botox and/or administered incorrectly:
CDC | Harmful Reactions Linked to Counterfeit “Botox” or Mishandled Botulinum Toxin Injections
So, take care!
Don’t Forget…
Did you arrive here from our newsletter? Don’t forget to return to the email to continue learning!
Learn to Age Gracefully
Join the 98k+ American women taking control of their health & aging with our 100% free (and fun!) daily emails:
-
How A Doctor Starts The Day To Make Dopamine Last Long Hours
10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
Dr. Zeliha Akpinar shares how she deals with her demanding life as a junior doctor in a rural emergency department, with a focus on starting the day in a way that means she doesn’t run out of steam partway through:
Gently does it
One of her core principles is protecting her brain’s dopamine levels, which are essential for motivation and productivity. Instead of reaching for her phone in the morning, she begins her day with simple tasks like brushing her teeth or making her bed—small actions that give her a dopamine boost without sending her along a “hedonic treadmill” in search of further crumbs of dopamine from social media etc.
She emphasizes the importance of using tools and routines that support mental clarity and focus. Her digital planner, “Xyles”, helps manage multiple responsibilities while keeping her grounded and goal-oriented. Including a photo of her younger self in her planner reminds her to stay connected to her inner child’s dreams—a powerful motivator during her long hospital shifts. For those of us who from the thumbnail might not have assumed she was old enough to be doctor, this might seem silly (like when a child says “when I was young”), but the truth is, we all live relative to our own past, however long or short that distance might be. The take-away for us at any age is: do things as though your younger self is watching!
Dr. Akpinar also talks about the significance of mindfulness in a hyper-connected world. She schedules screen-free meals to slow down and reconnect with the present moment, balancing the chaos of emergency medicine with moments of peace. By using tools like the “Opal” app to limit social media, she protects her focus and emotional well-being.
In short, her advice is clear: take purposeful action, design systems that support your brain, and stay aligned with what truly matters to you!
For more on all of this in her own words, enjoy:
Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!
Want to learn more?
You might also like:
Take care!
Don’t Forget…
Did you arrive here from our newsletter? Don’t forget to return to the email to continue learning!
Learn to Age Gracefully
Join the 98k+ American women taking control of their health & aging with our 100% free (and fun!) daily emails:
-
Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease – by Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn
10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
This is not a book of moderation. Indeed, it has a chapter entitled “moderation kills”. So, what does it advise? The dietary requirements are simple:
- No animal products
- No oils
- No oily plants (e.g. nuts, avocados)
You may be wondering: aren’t nuts and avocados healthy? What about olive oil? And the answer is that yes, for most people they are indeed healthy, but Dr. Esselstyn makes a compelling argument for their elimination in the case of someone needing to take drastic actions to prevent or reverse heart disease.
The single most important deciding factor, he says, is whether our total cholesterol is above or below 150mg/dL. Below that, he considers we need not worry. Above that, time for serious action.
So, if (like this reviewer!) you’re enjoying a Mediterranean diet with cholesterol well under that level, this book might not be for you.
For those with total cholesterol above 150mg/dL, however, Dr. Esselstyn presents a wealth of evidence for his approach working. On the one hand, this is mostly based on case studies rather than randomized controlled trials, but on the other hand, he’s accumulated so many of them that unless he’s hiding a lot of evidence to present only the successes, it’s safe to assume this way of eating really does prevent and reverse heart disease.
If you can’t imagine cooking without oil, and especially if you’re not vegan so that’d be several big changes at once, fear not, he provides recipes, with an emphasis on flavor and enjoyment; indeed, part two of the book (which is full of these recipes) is entitled “the joy of eating”.
The style is quite narrative; this is a man with a story to tell and he will tell it at length. But, there’s a lot of information therein that comes thick and fast, and it’s all well-referenced.
Bottom line: if you’re very sure you’re not in the danger zone for heart disease, this one’s probably not for you. If it’s a risk for you, however (or perhaps a known reality already), then this book presents a fix that seems somewhat drastic, but has a good record of working.
Click here to check out Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease, and prevent or reverse heart disease!
Don’t Forget…
Did you arrive here from our newsletter? Don’t forget to return to the email to continue learning!
Learn to Age Gracefully
Join the 98k+ American women taking control of their health & aging with our 100% free (and fun!) daily emails:
