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I don’t get it. Why would decreasing the function of mitochondria be a good thing? Can anyone explain?
> metformin blocks a specific part of the cell's energy-making machinery called mitochondrial complex Keep in mind that any mitochondrial complex I inhibitor that is sufficiently strong is going to cause PSP if you take it for long enough, which is basically a fatal and untreatable version of Parkinson's disease. I haven't seen much research on this being a risk specifically for metformin, but I'd be careful about tr…
Metformin is one of the most widely studied drugs on the market. I can't find any study that links it to PSP (Progressive Supranuclear Palsy).
> metformin blocks a specific part of the cell's energy-making machinery called mitochondrial complex Keep in mind that any mitochondrial complex I inhibitor that is sufficiently strong is going to cause PSP if you take it for long enough, which is basically a fatal and untreatable version of Parkinson's disease. I haven't seen much research on this being a risk specifically for metformin, but I'd be careful about tr…
FTA: "But until now, scientists have been unable to determine how, exactly, the drug works." Try that next time you submit a PR: Yeah... it works, but "I am unable to determine how exactly". I find this concept absolutely mind blowing. We take drugs that the creators of the drugs don't understand how they work. I realize that biology is hard to understand, but this sounds crazy.
FTA: "But until now, scientists have been unable to determine how, exactly, the drug works." Try that next time you submit a PR: Yeah... it works, but "I am unable to determine how exactly". I find this concept absolutely mind blowing. We take drugs that the creators of the drugs don't understand how they work. I realize that biology is hard to understand, but this sounds crazy.
Re: longevity, ITP didn't find any significant impact from metformin. Afaik they're the most rigorous testers of this sort of thing, so that's pretty significant to me. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27312235/
Also.
>Metformin (0.1%) combined with rapamycin (14 ppm) robustly extended lifespan, suggestive of an added benefit, based on historical comparison with earlier studies of rapamycin given alone.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
That's very common actually! The mechanism of action for many drugs is unknown. And then it gets even weirder with psychoactive drugs: eventually the answer is "this drug effects this neurotransmitter which gives you this subjective first person experience, and we don't really know why". It brings up a lot of philosophical and existential questions!
How do people come to find these drugs then? If you don't have a theory about how something works, what would make you test whether it works?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sorry bro, human biology is infinitely more complex than your CRUD app.
Oh... I agree.. I'm just shocked at the attitude. i.e. "We don't quite know how it works... but statistically we think it will help, with these side-effects.. good luck"
There is a sub-field called Computational Psychiatry [1] trying to do better. And interestingly, a person could argue that randomized controlled trials for medicine are only really necessary because we don't have good enough theory and/or good enough measurement devices. If we did, we could reliably predict the effects of a medication without the trial.
I don’t get it. Why would decreasing the function of mitochondria be a good thing? Can anyone explain?
It would indeed be bad if it was systemic. The link seems to suggest it's only certain cells that have influence over blood sugar (the gut, liver, etc).