[magna7]

I'd wager that it's the metformin. Metformin inhibits pathways associated with mTOR (the growth signaling protein). When you inhibit this pathway, it tells the body to start the process of autophagy. It's the same process that occurs during fasting, and it's the same reason that the mTOR inhibitor Rapamycin has been shown to extend lifespan in mice and dogs. This is also why fasting has been shown to increase lifespan. It seems like if you don't constantly tax your body with food (growth signaling), then you can allow the body to repair itself. If you don't give it a break through fasting, then your growth hormones will be continually signaling to activate mTOR within your cells and thus never start the process of autophagy (cell death, and regrowth).

[jostmey]

Biology is not that simple. There's not going to be a single magic compound. Slowing the aging process is massively complex and will probably require a cocktail of treatments

[nikolay]

I lot of people look at just one part of biology and totally ignore all the basics only focusing on aging reversal and living forever. First, autophagy is nice to have it done from time to time, not constantly. If you constantly activate it, then your cells will reach the Hayflick limit. So, you need to boost your telomerase... but then you can more easily get cancer.

The best strategy for me is lower metabolism, undereat, and reduce cellular damage and senescence. In some cases, senescence can be reversed (a friend of mine is doing a beta cell research at UCLA, and they've done that to some extent.) Of course, there are other strategies, involving stem cells, but I'm not familiar with that part - maybe they can compensate the negative effects of autophagy.

[magna7]

Studies with Rapamycin suggest otherwise. Mice live on the order of 20-30% longer, so for mice, simply inhibiting mTOR is enough to extend the biological age.

[darkerside]

Why do you say that? Biology is usually very simple. Eat food, live. Don't eat food, die. Drink water, live. Don't drink water, die.

Just because you don't happen to know the answer doesn't mean the answer is complicated.

[powersnail]

Just because you can say something in four words, doesn’t mean it is simple.

You eat, you live. Sure. But why? What happens to the things you eat? What can you eat? What/how/why is the pain in your stomachs?

[darkerside]

Ugh, please take it in context. That was in response to something.

> There's not going to be a single magic compound. Slowing the aging process is massively complex and will probably require a cocktail of treatments

My counterpoint is, slowing aging could easily be the result of a very simple compound. It's irrational to assume it must be complex just because we don't know it.

[tasty_freeze]

Writing an optimizing compiler is child's play. Just type some letters and numbers, hit save, and you are done.