There is so much research on IGF1, its probably one of the top 2 most validated pathways for longevity in addition to mTOR.
So, from my standpoint, the data is pretty conclusive of it having “some effect” in healthspan and lifespan.
But I think you can argue that if started later in life, the impact may be small. But even without a lifespan improvement, the disease burden reduction seems to be more compelling. I mean look at the health profiles of the Laron syndrome dwarfs who never get cancer or diabetes… its hard to argue against (except again, how much benefit you’d get from later life IGF1 reduction vs. life-long reduction, this is an open question).
Anyway - we’ve got lots of threads on IGF1, so not to digress too much in this Acarbose thread.
I’m pulling out my list of people with idiosyncrasies again. “yeah, he’s a pretty good administrator…but he has an obsession with…“the Little People of Ecuador””
I think this conclusion is likely premature given the small sample size… how can you not live longer if you’re not getting cancer or diabetes? " Among the approximately 100 individuals in this population, there were no reported cases of diabetes and one case of cancer.[29]". wikipedia.
Certainly the healthspan is much longer than unaffected relatives.
Just had a quick google and pulled up a couple of articles
Blockquote
there were 30 deaths among patients with Laron syndrome: 9 due to age-related diseases (8 due to cardiac disease and 1 to stroke) and 21 were due to non–age-related causes. Patients with Laron syndrome from the Ecuadorian cohort died much more frequently from accidents, alcohol-related causes, and convulsive disorders
Blockquote
and another article/quote suggests that maybe people with Laron syndrome think they are invulnerable and eventually their modern diet is going to catch up with them one day.
Blockquote
Guevara-Aguirre said that in the absence of alarming symptoms or blood tests, it can be difficult to convince his [Laron syndrome] patients, who are prone to obesity, that they need to eat right and exercise.
Valarezo just laughs when he tells her she needs to lose weight, and he frets that a modern diet might eventually overtake the built-in protections of her disease.
“Eventually, it will catch up with you,” he said. “They are pushing the limit.”
Blockquote
Not just cancer and diabetes, but also heart disease and Alzheimer’s… that would be the big four… wow!?
And in rodents it does extend lifespan
See bold parts below
Unlike others with dwarfism, Laron patients don’t lack growth hormone, but they have a defect in the receptor in the liver that is supposed to bind to the hormone and produce a substance called insulin-like growth factor 1. In Laron, there is no binding and no IGF-1 - and stunted growth as a result. But the absence of IGF-1 may also prevent the uncontrolled growth of cells that turn into cancer, and it creates extra sensitivity to insulin that serves as a shield against diabetes.
Longo duplicated Laron in lab rats. "The mice actually lived 50 percent longer and get a lot less diseases. It’s very clear in the mice. Can it be true for people?'" His lab is testing drugs that would block IGF-1 in people, but the question is whether medicine will work as well as an actual mutation in humans. Longo said it will be at least a decade before they know the answer. Meanwhile, his team is also investigating its theory that Laron may be a defense against heart disease and Alzheimer’s. Preliminary results show that at the very least, the little people don’t have any higher risk of those conditions.
Actually one of the biggest killers of Laron Syndrome folks are accidents.
Instead of dying from chronic diseases connected to obesity, however, there is an unusually high rate of alcohol- and accident-related deaths as well as convulsive disorders among the Laron population, he said.30 Apr 2
Part of that might be higher portion of suicides as they may face discrimination in multiple ways (which also could be a driver of the higher alcohol intake)
Or does anyone think low IGF-1 would be causing that somehow?
Been taking acarbose for 3 months. The fartulence side effect was once blatantly evident but my body seems to have acclimated.
Right now I’m on a bunch of antibiotics for an infection and hopeful that arcarbose will contribute to rebuilding my gut microbiome once I’m off those meds
Feeling it might be worth a study and in fact wonder if much study has been done on the effect on the micro-biome of taking serious antibiotics and methods of rebuilding this important aspect of our system
Age is the greatest risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) as well as for other disorders that increase the risk of AD such as diabetes and obesity. There is growing interest in determining if interventions that promote metabolic health can prevent or delay AD. Acarbose is an anti-diabetic drug that not only improves glucose homeostasis, but also extends the lifespan of wild-type mice. Here, we test the hypothesis that acarbose will not only preserve metabolic health, but also slow or prevent AD pathology and cognitive deficits in 3xTg mice, a model of AD, fed either a Control diet or a high-fat, high-sucrose Western diet (WD). We find that acarbose decreases the body weight and adiposity of WD-fed 3xTg mice, increasing energy expenditure while also stimulating food consumption, and improves glycemic control. Both male and female WD-fed 3xTg mice have worsened cognitive deficits than Control-fed mice, and these deficits are ameliorated by acarbose treatment. Molecular and histological analysis of tau and amyloid pathology identified sex-specific effects of acarbose which are uncoupled from the dramatic improvements in cognition, suggesting that the benefits of acarbose on AD are largely driven by improved metabolic health. In conclusion, our results suggest that acarbose may be a promising intervention to prevent, delay, or even treat AD, especially in individuals consuming a Western diet.
