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Comment by giardini | Hacker News Reader

What drugs specifically are in the "cocktail"?

I could not access the paywalled paper. Gratefully fanzhang answered my question below:

fanzhang:>The paper says: Metformin, Psora-4, Rapamycin, Rifampicin, and Allantoin.

Here's a 2017 article w/o paywall which identified the five drugs above and also the best combinations (for worms) at that time:

"Rapamycin,rifampicin, Psora-4 cocktail doubles lifespan":

https://alivebynature.com/rapamycinrifampicin-psora-4-cockta...

The article states that the most successful one(at that time) was rapamycin + rifampicin + allantoin, resulting in a doubling of mean lifespan.

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Did you read the article?

"The drug rapamycin is currently administered following organ transplants to prevent the body's immune system from rejecting the transplanted organs, but previous experiments by other research groups showed that it extends the lifespan of many organisms, including the C. elegans worms, fruit flies and mice"

Dr Gruber's team administered combinations of two or three compounds targeting different ageing pathways to C. elegans (worms).

I'm not a biologist, but wouldn't an immunosuppressant's "life prolonging" effects be negated in a non-petri-dish-environment by bacterial, viral and fungal infections to the recepient?

You provided some understanding from the article, which is appreciated.

As a friendly reminder, the guidelines state: “Please don't insinuate that someone hasn't read an article. "Did you even read the article? It mentions that" can be shortened to "The article mentions that."”

Why would you think that the question immediately implies an insinuation? It is a perfectly normal question to ask based on data. Article gives info. First comment (now no longer the top comment) asks question on info, response from person who read the article - did you read the article? It is logical to me, I don't think there was any insinuation here, just asking for verification. Simple as that :)

A better question in the first place would be - I read the article but am unable to figure out which are the drugs actually used as I do not have much background in Bio/Pharma science

> Why would you think that the question immediately implies an insinuation?

This may be culture-dependent, but I guess most people would feel it that way.

In my experience, the question is stronger than an insinuation, coming across as an accusation.

This is an issue with text conversation exchange. We do not have information on the tone of voice. And it is unfair to imagine a tone based on what we read

Ah yes, Metformin is strongly believed to extend human life span. I've been thinking about asking my doctor for a prescription.

This makes sense. Glucose at above certain levels ruins cells, so Metformin lowers the glucose level. Asking the doc is key, you can't just read an article and try to find 4-5 meds to take each day :)

You can also eat a very low-carb diet. Restricting your carbs to foods like greens and berries will have the same effect without the need for a prescription. Gluconeogenesis is demand-driven.

Of course, in the context of anti-aging, Metformin may have other beneficial effects outside of moderating glucose levels.

Fasting is also a good idea. It forces your body to kill off marginal cells for food, rather than leaving them to potentially become cancer.

Can you cite a source please? I would be very interested in reading it

Not the parent but try searching online for fasting and autophagy. There are countless sources regarding this link.

Another good recent study is the intestinal stem cell regenerative boost after a 24 hour fast in mice.

One might say that the links are still not solid, but we do know that lowering glucose levels might be a good idea (hence the interest in metformin) and fasting/keto certainly achieves that without a drug.

I really like the stuff that Mark Sisson writes on fasting[0], because he explains and links all his sources.

0. https://www.marksdailyapple.com/health-benefits-of-intermitt...

Oh, that's a cute concrete theory I've never heard before.

I do fast occasionally, but not as often as I'd wish.

If you want to learn more, the biological process is called “autophagy”.

Yeah, but taking a pill and eating what you want (more or less) is much better

I don't think it's primary effect on lifespan is through glucose regulation. There are other diabetes medications that don't have this same effect.

Also see https://www.gwern.net/Longevity#metformin for more info.

Please ask and report back as a data point! I obtain Metformin through non-traditional channels, as I don't have a PCP and Walgreens/CVS aren't able to prescribe it off label. Life would be easier if it could just end up in my mailbox once a month/every three months.

Alldaychemist.com can do just that. I’ve found them quite reliable and certainly better than your normal pharmacy experience if you can wait on the package to arrive from India.

I've been trying Berberine, which controls blood glucose effectively at 1000-1500mg per day doses.

That's in Goldenseal, which I've never heard of having an anti-ageing effect.

The drugs are listed in the actual paper.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S153458071...

Selegiline has also been associated with increased lifespan. I sometimes wonder if vitamin D's effect on blood sugar is comparable to metformin.

The drugs are clearly listed in the paper, as has been mentioned here in the comments already.

Well, this is just an article. The paper is here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S15345...

I'm not sure if the paper mentions the drugs.

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