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This diabetes treatment can delay ageing among humans, scientists claim

WION Web Team
New Delhi, IndiaEdited By: Bharat SharmaUpdated: Mar 08, 2021, 10:45 AM IST
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Human ageing Photograph:(Others)

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Ageing underlines the fatalist truth about being human. But scientists around the world are working on ways to stop, or at least slowing down the process!

Ageing underlines the fatalist truth about being human. But scientists around the world are working on ways to stop, or at least slowing down the process. An increasing number of scientists believe that a treatment for Type 2 diabetes may help in slowing down ageing, The Washington Post first reported.

The treatment called "metformin" is helpful is reportedly slowing down multiple age-related ailments, including heart disease, dementia, and cancer. 

If true, metformin can not just fight these diseases, but also potentially extend our lifespan. But immortality is still light years away!

Nir Barzilai, Director of the Institute for Aging Research, Albert Einstein College of Medicine told the Washington Post that they haven't found the "fountain of youth", but instead claim to delay ageing.

A group of scientists met in Spain in 2014 to find ways to counter ageing. In the aftermath of this meeting, a six-year clinical trial called "Targeting Aging with Metformin" (TAME) was proposed. 

The trial intends to dig deeper into the anti-ageing techniques of metformin, and will involve at least 3,000 subjects aged between 65-79. It will take place across 14 research sites situated in universities spread across the US, TAME's website claims.

Scientists took up TAME after seeing encouraging results involving metformin. The study is currently in its infancy stage, with more research expected to shed light on the role of metformin in delaying ageing.

Also read: Regular intake of junk food can affect chromosomes related to ageing: Study

Earlier, Israeli scientists claimed they had also reversed signs of ageing. Scientists at Tel Aviv University and the Shamir Medical Center claimed to have not only stop ageing, but to reverse it by administering oxygen at high-pressure levels in a chamber.  According to Al Jazeera, it reversed two processes associated with ageing and illness