Metformin - Caveat lector

                        

                       Two of the most common denizens of aging are
                       atherosclerosis, a clogging of the arteries that
                       can lead to life-shortening heart disease, and a
                       declining immune system, which can mean
                       decreased resistance to infectious diseases and
                       even cancer. Metformin, a drug used for years in
                       Europe to treat adult-onset diabetes, may also
                       have some anti-aging properties-lowering
                       cholesterol, for example, and boosting the
                       immune system. New evidence from the
                       University of Milan suggests that metformin may
                       also help treat atherosclerosis.

                       Over the past 25 years, tests in rats and rabbits
                       have shown that metformin reduces the ability of
                       very low density lipoprotein, a form of "bad"
                       cholesterol, to bind to blood vessel walls, while
                       making blood platelets less likely to coagulate
                       and form dangerous clots.

                       There's exciting recent news concerning what
                       may turn out to be one of metformin's most
                       important anti-aging properties: its ability to treat
                       patients whose blood vessels are constricted by
                       atherosclerosis. In 1992, a research team led by
                       C.R. Sirtori of the Institute of Pharmacological
                       Sciences at the University of Milan tested
                       metformin on 11 patients with peripheral vascular
                       disease. Their blood vessels were so clogged
                       that they could not walk normally for more than
                       about 550 yards. After treatment with metformin,
                       however, the patients' blood flow increased by 30
                       percent, and their exercise capacity increased by
                       anywhere from 53 percent to 105 percent.

                       At the low doses (two 500 mg doses per day)
                       used in the Italian study, no side effects were
                       noted. Higher doses can produce lactic acidosis,
                       a condition in which the blood becomes acidic,
                       and which can lead to nausea and vomiting.

                       Because it helps normalize the metabolism of
                       glucose, metformin is widely used in western
                       Europe to treat adult-onset diabetes.

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                       provider. 

                         
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