Popular drug found to extend lifespan just as well as calorie-cutting

While we typically think of calorie-cutting as an attempt to squeeze into our favorite pair of skinny jeans, it’s worth remembering that scientists think of it in terms of longevity more so than looks.It’s been known for quite some time that severely reducing calorie intake can extend lifespan — which is why intermittent fasting has become all the rage.However, even the most disciplined among us would admit that it’s “not sustainable” — which is a fancy way of saying that it sucks.Now, a new study out of the UK suggests you can have your cake and eat it, too, so to speak.A massive analysis recently published in the journal Aging Cell revealed that rapamycin — the immunosuppressant drug turned longevity darling — delivers almost the same life‑extension benefits as slashing calories.“Dietary restriction — for example, through intermittent fasting or reduced calorie intake — has been the gold standard for living longer.But it’s difficult for most of us to maintain long-term,” Dr.

Zahida Sultanova, a researcher at the University of East Anglia, said in a statement.“We wanted to know if popular anti-aging drugs like rapamycin or metformin could offer similar effects without the need to cut calories.”Researchers analyzed 167 studies across eight vertebrate species — including primates, rodents and fish — to find that rapamycin’s results were surprisingly similar to rigorous dietary restriction.The same findings did not hold for the popular Type 2 diabetes drug metformin.Rapamycin, isolated from soil on Easter Island in the 1970s, was originally used to suppress immune response in organ transplant patients and treat rare diseases.It works by inhibiting the mTOR pathway, which governs cell growth and repair, and it appears to mimic the cellular cleanup triggered by fasting, known as autophagy.Although rapamycin is already approved by the Food and Drug Administration for other uses, it’s not cleared for anti‑aging purposes in huma...