Introduction to Anti-Aging Science
A large meta-analysis has made a groundbreaking discovery in the field of anti-aging science. Researchers have found that a specific drug, rapamycin, is just as effective in protecting cells and cognitive function as cutting calories or intermittent fasting (IF). This comprehensive study is the most extensive research on rapamycin to date, and its findings have significant implications for the future of aging research.
The Study
In the largest study of its kind, researchers from the University of East Anglia (UEA) and the University of Glasgow analyzed 167 studies conducted on lifespan-extending therapies on eight different vertebrates, including primates, rodents, and fish. The study aimed to compare the effectiveness of rapamycin with traditional methods of healthy aging, such as cutting calories or fasting. The researchers found that dietary restriction, either through cutting calories or intermittent fasting, extended the lifespans of all eight vertebrates in the 167 studies. However, rapamycin was also consistent in doing this, while another drug, metformin, was not as effective.
What is Rapamycin?
Rapamycin is not a new discovery; it was identified in 1972 in soil samples taken from Rapa Nui, or Easter Island. Initially, it was used as an anti-fungal and anti-cancer drug and an immunosuppressant. However, several decades later, it became the target compound in geroscience, a field studying the biological mechanisms of aging and age-related diseases. Rapamycin is an mTOR (mechanistic Target Of Rapamycin) inhibitor, which regulates crucial biological functions like cell growth and repair. It signals to mTOR to slow down and do some clean-up, making cells better at responding to stress and preventing the build-up of damaged material, which can lead to diseases like cancer and dementia.
How Rapamycin Works
Rapamycin does not reverse aging, but it delays the biological aging process to promote healthy aging. It has gained US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval in other areas, including preventing transplanted organ rejection and treating rare lung disease lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) and some rare cancers. The researchers found that rapamycin extended lifespan across the eight vertebrate groups on par with eating less and/or fasting. Rapamycin’s healthy aging biomarkers were consistent across males and females, making it a promising candidate for further study.
Implications and Future Research
The study’s findings do not suggest that everyone should start taking rapamycin. However, they do strengthen the case for its further study in aging research and raise important questions about how we approach longevity therapeutics. While there is no silver bullet for stopping the aging process, the researchers highlighted that current interventions can be challenging for many people. Long-term calorie-restricted diets and intermittent-fasting regimens can be difficult to maintain, and if medical treatment could achieve the same healthy-aging results, regardless of diet, rapamycin’s appeal is clear. The researchers are currently investigating rapamycin in human trials, which will assess the drug’s safety and efficacy.
Conclusion
The study’s findings have significant implications for the future of aging research. Rapamycin has shown promise as a potential therapeutic agent for promoting healthy aging, and its further study could lead to the development of new interventions for age-related diseases. While the researchers’ findings are based on studies on non-human vertebrates, the potential for rapamycin to improve human health and lifespan is clear. As the field of geroscience continues to evolve, it is likely that we will see more research on rapamycin and other potential therapeutic agents for promoting healthy aging.
