Are the Longevity Benefits of Acarbose Rooted in Its Role on the Gut Microbiota?
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Re: Are the Longevity Benefits of Acarbose Rooted in Its Role on the Gut Microbiota?
#2For anyone even remotely interested in learning how research happens and how research should happen if it happens well, you should listen to the Peter Attia podcast with Richard Miller who runs the ITP program mentioned here. It’s definitely the most thoughtful research program that I can think of that’s currently running. https://peterattiamd.com/richardmiller/
Having said that Acarbose was still only shown to extend life in mice. The moment something is about gut microbiome I start losing confidence in the ability of mouse models in predicting human behavior.
When I originally heard about Acarbose in this episode I looked up Reddit as I usually do and the scant mentions all recalled smelly flatulence as a gross side effect. Take that for what you want! Not to mention it worked only in male mice and we have no idea how! This is not confidence inducing especially if you’re committing to becoming horrendously smelly!
Re: Are the Longevity Benefits of Acarbose Rooted in Its Role on the Gut Microbiota?
#3> acarbose was one of five molecules shown to increase lifespan
Rapacmycin, acarbose, glycine, canagliflozin and 17-a-estradiol [1]. Acarbose’s side effects include “flatulence (78% of patients) and diarrhea (14% of patients)” [2]. (It also appears to be hard on the liver.)
[1] https://www.nia.nih.gov/research/dab/interventions-testing-p...
Re: Are the Longevity Benefits of Acarbose Rooted in Its Role on the Gut Microbiota?
#4I'd be interested to see if acarbose extends the life of obligate carnivores.
As far as I know the mice get a high sugar/starch diet, but afaik nobody ever stopped to see if they live longer on a high fat/high protein diet or not. not sure about this though.
Re: Are the Longevity Benefits of Acarbose Rooted in Its Role on the Gut Microbiota?
#5> acarbose was one of five molecules shown to increase lifespan Rapacmycin, acarbose, glycine, canagliflozin and 17-a-estradiol [1]. Acarbose’s side effects include “flatulence (78% of patients) and diarrhea (14% of patients)” [2]. (It also appears to be hard on the liver.) [1] https://www.nia.nih.gov/research/dab/interventions-testing-p... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acarbose
> glycine
It’s fairly safe to discount any study that indicates significant health effects from a nonessential amino acid, especially in animal models.
Re: Are the Longevity Benefits of Acarbose Rooted in Its Role on the Gut Microbiota?
#6> acarbose was one of five molecules shown to increase lifespan Rapacmycin, acarbose, glycine, canagliflozin and 17-a-estradiol [1]. Acarbose’s side effects include “flatulence (78% of patients) and diarrhea (14% of patients)” [2]. (It also appears to be hard on the liver.) [1] https://www.nia.nih.gov/research/dab/interventions-testing-p... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acarbose
Why are diabetes drugs so often radically powerful for general health?
i.e. semaglutide for weight loss, canagliflozin for longevity, etc.
Re: Are the Longevity Benefits of Acarbose Rooted in Its Role on the Gut Microbiota?
#7> acarbose was one of five molecules shown to increase lifespan Rapacmycin, acarbose, glycine, canagliflozin and 17-a-estradiol [1]. Acarbose’s side effects include “flatulence (78% of patients) and diarrhea (14% of patients)” [2]. (It also appears to be hard on the liver.) [1] https://www.nia.nih.gov/research/dab/interventions-testing-p... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acarbose
> glycine It’s fairly safe to discount any study that indicates significant health effects from a nonessential amino acid, especially in animal models.
> safe to discount any study that indicates significant health effects from a nonessential amino acid
One, that’s too much confidence for a topic we do not understand well. Two, the study found—with startlingly high confidence and a meaningful, if small, effect size—glycine “can mitigate methionine toxicity,” the latter being an essential amino acid [1].
Re: Are the Longevity Benefits of Acarbose Rooted in Its Role on the Gut Microbiota?
#8For anyone even remotely interested in learning how research happens and how research should happen if it happens well, you should listen to the Peter Attia podcast with Richard Miller who runs the ITP program mentioned here. It’s definitely the most thoughtful research program that I can think of that’s currently running. https://peterattiamd.com/richardmiller/ Having said that Acarbose was still only shown to exten…
> it worked only in male mice
There are multiple studies. The larger ones seem to find it working in female mice, too [1].
Re: Are the Longevity Benefits of Acarbose Rooted in Its Role on the Gut Microbiota?
#9For anyone even remotely interested in learning how research happens and how research should happen if it happens well, you should listen to the Peter Attia podcast with Richard Miller who runs the ITP program mentioned here. It’s definitely the most thoughtful research program that I can think of that’s currently running. https://peterattiamd.com/richardmiller/ Having said that Acarbose was still only shown to exten…
> it worked only in male mice There are multiple studies. The larger ones seem to find it working in female mice, too [1]. [1] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30688027/
Sure but the discrepancy is too
Much, suggesting a hormonal component. Which is all the more confusing since this blog post (leaving aside its preachiness) was about gut microbiome based efficacy. Thus the efficacy of this drug is validated in mice while its mechanisms is incontrovertibly spread along two dimensions I wouldn’t even individually trust to translate well from mice to humans, leave alone synergistically.
Re: Are the Longevity Benefits of Acarbose Rooted in Its Role on the Gut Microbiota?
#10> acarbose was one of five molecules shown to increase lifespan Rapacmycin, acarbose, glycine, canagliflozin and 17-a-estradiol [1]. Acarbose’s side effects include “flatulence (78% of patients) and diarrhea (14% of patients)” [2]. (It also appears to be hard on the liver.) [1] https://www.nia.nih.gov/research/dab/interventions-testing-p... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acarbose
> glycine It’s fairly safe to discount any study that indicates significant health effects from a nonessential amino acid, especially in animal models.
You know SALT is considered bad for you at high doses right?