A compelling point. If it follows the usual path of 20th century "miracle" drugs, it might turn out to be like statins: miracle workers about getting "those numbers" on a lab test to go down, but working in unknown ways to mess things up.

Didn't see any side effects? This:



Oh, calorie restriction! Unless you put us in cages, it won't work!

And didn't it turn out that CARB restriction has the same effects without the torment?

Kind of like "dieting" itself?

Metformin might increase insulin signalling--or at least the amount of successful signalling at a given insulin level--but if it were preventative versus development of fatty liver, obesity, or otherwise versus development of insulin resistance, the lifetime exposure to insulin might go down. Also I think some cautiion is always advisable when working from mechanisms on up to predicting outcomes.

That said, a drug that improves glucose metabolism in the sick does seem less likely to benefit a person with an uncompromised glucose metabolism. The most studied intervention for for longevity is probably still calorie restriction, and that generally works in animals prone to developing insulin resistance and obesity, that are fed diets that promote these.

speaking of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)...

Fatty Liver Disease and Ketogenic Diets

Lack of Saturated Fat Consumption: At least two studies, one from Duke University, and one from Cambridge University have shown that reducing carbohydrate consumption and increasing saturated fat intake helps the liver shed excess fat in as little as three days.

no drug needed.

Thank you for posting this!! No less than 30 seconds before I was about to go on the hunt to research NAFLD. DD3 on the hunt to figure out what has been wrong with her and gong from doctor to doctor just went to a doctor who is diagnosing her with this at the age of only 26 years old!
Perfect timing!

Awesome!

So mTOR stands for mammalian target of rapamycin. Because that's what rapamycin targets, that is, down-regulates. Shut down mTOR, make humans live longer? Maybe. Future studies might be done and find that to be the case. BUT... mTOR is also the nutrient sensing system that when activated tells the body to grow and repair muscle. If an aging body's not getting that signal regularly by stimulating mTOR with exercise, protein, etc., sarcopenia (age-related muscle wasting) rears its ugly head. Visions of muscular weakness and resulting frailty, loss of abilities and independence, falls that disable or kill because the muscles were too weak for proper balance. Leading to possibly a long life span but short health span? Something to consider.

OMG that doesn't sound good at all!! Muscle wasting because it shut down the body's ability to regulate nutrients to grow and repair muscle?

ps I was just telling DH about this and it made me think that it would also include the heart muscles not repairing themselves, that's very concerning!
Better to go low carb!!

Low carb, good. But beware a possible popular mistake while doing keto of going too low on protein. It takes 2.5 grams of the amino acid leucine to temporarily upregulate mTOR to stimulate muscle building, which is typically found in around 30 grams of animal-sourced protein (closer to 60 from plants due to lower leucine levels). If you're aging plus limiting protein so that only say one meal out of your day hits this mark or maybe your protein is divided out so each meal is at a level too low to stimulate mTOR, you may think you're getting plenty enough protein but muscles aren't being stimulated to grow. I've upped my protein per meal based on this information from Dr. Gabrielle Lyon. Her website here https://www.drgabriellelyon.com/ for anyone interested.

I've also upped my protein intake.

Here's an interview with Dr Stuart Philips on the importance of protein especially as we age:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_MXKahAtAo&t=2s

Dr Ted Naiman talks about the importance of protein also:

https://www.dietdoctor.com/too-much...than-too-little

As mentioned in other posts, I've also upped my protein intake and combined it with a more active fitness routine of walking, hiking, running, HIIT, and Pilates. Lately, I've noticed I have put on a few pounds, but my clothes are slightly looser. This is my unscientific way of presuming the additional weight is increased lean mass. That's what I'm trying to do as I get older and, in the process, feeling better.

Way to go!!! My grandfather was carrying a new tv into his house in his mid 90's !!