Rapamycin is used to help prevent organ rejection in transplant recipients. It is now being touted as the most promising anti-aging drug.
Rapamycin suppresses a protein in the body to lower inflammation and speed up how quickly cells purge their waste. That can reduce the risk for blood sugar concerns, heart disease and muscle pain. It can also aid brain health.
The discovery that the medication may aid aging came in 2006 when researchers found it extended the life of yeast. In 2009, a study found that mice taking the drug lived 12 percent longer. This year, a study found that marmosets taking the drug lived 10 percent longer.
No studies have been performed in humans. However, a drug that is similar and impacts the same protein does improve older people’s immune systems. It is unknown how many humans currently take rapamycin as a longevity medication as it is usually acquired from overseas pharmacies.
While rapamycin is approved for organ transplant patients, it isn’t officially used for longevity. And it does have side effects. It can cause mouth sores and nausea, increase cholesterol and harm blood sugar. It may also increase the risk of infection. However, those are the known side effects of the medication when taken for transplant patients. They take a higher dose of rapamycin than people taking it for longevity. There may be fewer side effects for people taking a smaller dose.
One believer in the medication, Robert Berger, 69, learned of it from a friend and now runs an online forum called “Rapamycin News.” On the site, people discuss their experiences with the drug.
Mr. Berger said he feels more energy and has healthier gums than before he started taking the pill. But he hasn’t seen an enormous difference in his health and sometimes wonders if it’s a placebo effect.
Animal studies might not reflect how drugs impact human health. If it slows the onset of age-related diseases, it might now be slowing aging in the animals, just preventing them from dying from other causes.
Longevity influencers on the internet are pushing the medication to their millions of followers. But there is little solid proof that it works.
Eric Verdin, 66, CEO of the Buck Institute on Aging, takes rapamycin. He also said it isn’t a cure for aging. According to him, nothing replaces exercise and diet when taking steps toward healthy aging.
“People going on it, using it as a substitute for a healthy lifestyle, is a bridge too far for me,” said Mr. Verdin.
For us, reading about all this, our most significant concern is over people buying prescription medications from foreign countries. Rapamycin isn’t prescribed for aging in the U.S., so folks are getting it elsewhere. When it comes to medication, knowing where it comes from is essential.
