Diabetes drug may delay ageing: study
March 30, 2013  12:33
A widely prescribed type 2 diabetes drug slows down the ageing process by mimicking the effects of dieting, according to a study that used worms to investigate how the drug works.

Following a calorie-restricted diet has been shown to improve health in later life and extend lifespan in a number of animals, ranging from the simple worm to rhesus monkeys.

The type 2 diabetes drug metformin has been found to have similar effects in animals but until now it was not clear exactly how the drug delays the ageing process. 

Researchers looked at the effects of metformin on C elegans worms that were grown in the presence of E coli bacteria, a relationship similar to that which humans have with the 'healthy' bacteria in our gut.

They found that the worms treated with metformin lived longer only when the E coli strain they were cultured with was sensitive to the drug.
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