Acarbose

Status

FDA-approved. FDA-approved labeling exists as Precose as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycaemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes. There is no approved indication relating to ageing or longevity.

What it is

A diabetes medicine that slows carbohydrate absorption in the gut.

What published research measured

An alpha-glucosidase inhibitor that slows carbohydrate digestion in the small intestine, blunting post-meal glucose rises. Its diabetes evidence is solid — the STOP-NIDDM trial reported reduced progression from impaired glucose tolerance to type 2 diabetes, with a secondary signal on cardiovascular events. Its presence in a longevity library comes from the Interventions Testing Program, where acarbose extended median lifespan in mice, with a notably larger effect in males than females, and it is one of the few compounds to have replicated in that programme. No published human trial was identified that tests it as a geroprotective agent. Its tolerability is the practical limit: flatulence, bloating and diarrhoea arise directly from delivering undigested carbohydrate to colonic bacteria and are the usual reason people stop.

Source

STOP-NIDDM trial · NIA Interventions Testing Program — acarbose lifespan extension in mice

Sources

• Half-life source for Acarbose