STATINS AND OTHER WONDER DRUGS
STATINS
Already used by millions of people to lower cholesterol and protect against heart disease, statins have been shown to improve the navigational ability of tired neutrophils. These dominant white blood cells are among the immune system’s first responders, homing in on sites of injury or infection. In older people, neutrophils are not as efficient at swallowing and killing nasties as they are in the young.
But the biggest problems with these immune cells is that they lose their sense of direction. When responding to a pro-inflammatory signal, elderly neutrophils zigzag through the tissue towards the site of injury like an emergency crew with a faulty GPS, causing collateral damage along the way. A study by Professor Janet Lord, director of the Institute of Inflammation and Ageing in Birmingham, of elderly patients admitted with pneumonia to Queen Elizabeth’s Hospital in Birmingham, found that those already taking statins were less likely to die of infection than those who were not, partly because their neutrophils had a better sense of direction.
METFORMIN
This is a well- established diabetic drug whose active ingredient derives from French lilac (Galega officinalis). Metformin has also been hailed as, potentially, an anti- ageing wonder drug. In 2014, a UK study suggested it can improve health and vigour in all humans. Scientists still have a lot to learn but they believe it enhances the activity of an enzyme within cells that inhibits the process of burning glucose for energy.
In the US, a novel clinical trial carried out by the American Federation for Aging Research, TAME ( Targeting Aging with Metformin), is researching the drug’s effect in delaying the onset of chronic diseases including cancer.
RAPAMYCIN
A compound first discovered in a bacterium native to Easter Island, this has recently generated breathless headlines such as, “Is this the anti- ageing pill we’ve been waiting for?”.
Rapamycin is an immune modulator and is traditionally used to dampen down the potential rejection of transplanted organs.
In 2009, scientists at the National Institutes of Health in the United States found that rapamycin extended the average lifespan of mice by at least 12 per cent.
A 2013 Buck Institute study of elderly mice showed improvements in cardiac functions and general fitness after three months on the drug.
The drawback is that its side effects can range from swollen ankles to increased risk of type 2 diabetes.