Not sure if this is the right section of the forum for this.
There's been a lot of buzz about Rapamycin on the Methuselah news feed on Facebook and I've been in the dark about what it does exactly. Apparently it inhibits TOR, which stands for target of rapamycin.
Science-Based Medicine wrote posted a blog post last year apparently that talks about this new drug among other supplements and drugs like Curcumin, Resveratrol and Aspirin. They're normally known for being highly critical (and rightly so) of CAM.
Rapamycin inhibits TOR. In fact, TOR stands for “target of rapamycin”. In animal studies, rapamycin has been shown to extend not only lifespan but maximum lifespan, slow the formation of senescent cells, reverse cardiac aging, decrease inflammation, and strengthen bones. And it’s already available: the FDA approved it in 1999 for preventing rejection in transplant patients. But don’t get too excited yet. Gifford says:
The fact that you’ve read this far means, of course, that you are far too intelligent to take a powerful, possibly dangerous drug just because you read about it in a book written by an English major who has no business giving anyone medical advice.
Rapamycin has side effects. It’s a powerful immune suppressor that may impair response to pathogens. It increases insulin resistance, which would increase the risk of diabetes. An anti-aging drug for use in healthy people would have to be very safe, “safer than aspirin.” Since rapamycin works on basic pathways for normal cellular function, it is likely to have unpredictable unwanted effects.
Edited by Nate-2004, 12 June 2016 - 01:39 PM.
