Get your score

Is metformin an anti-ageing pill?

What you hear: “The diabetes drug metformin slows aging, so everyone should be taking it.”

What the studies found

The idea grew from a 2014 UK records study in which people with diabetes who started metformin lived slightly longer than matched people without diabetes. A Danish registry study, including twin pairs, did not confirm this: after adjustments, people starting metformin had about a 32% higher death rate than people without diabetes. These are observed links in people with diabetes, not trials in healthy people. In randomised trials in older adults without diabetes, metformin reduced the muscle gained from 14 weeks of strength training and dulled the fitness gains from 12 weeks of aerobic training. TAME, a planned trial of over 3,000 people aged 65 to 79 meant to test metformin against aging, is still raising funds to launch.

Take care: Metformin is a prescription drug; in trials of older adults without diabetes it blunted the benefits of strength and aerobic training, so it shouldn't be taken for aging without a doctor's advice.

What you could do

If you want the benefits people hope metformin gives, regular exercise and strength training have far stronger evidence; ask a doctor before any off-label drug.

Get your longevity score and see which everyday habits make the biggest difference for you.

Not medical advice. General information from published studies, not a diagnosis or a treatment plan. Talk with your doctor before starting a supplement or changing a medicine, especially if you are pregnant, take other medicines or have a health condition.

How we judged it

Not proven: Not enough good human evidence yet, either way. We judge the claim as it is usually said online, not the habit itself. Trials assign people at random, so they can show cause; observed studies follow people and show a link, not proof. Last checked: October 2026.

The studies, in their own words

1. Bannister et al. Diabetes Obes Metab 2014

   Patients with type 2 diabetes initiated with metformin monotherapy had longer survival than did matched, non-diabetic controls.

2. Keys et al. Int J Epidemiol 2022

   After adjusting for co-morbidities and social indicators, these associations were attenuated to 1.32 (95% CI: 1.16, 1.50) and 1.64 (95% CI: 1.10, 2.46), respectively.

3. Walton et al. Aging Cell 2019 (MASTERS)

   Although responses to PRT varied, placebo gained more lean body mass (p = .003) and thigh muscle mass (p < .001) than metformin.

4. Konopka et al. Aging Cell 2019

   However, metformin attenuated the increase in whole-body insulin sensitivity and VO

5. American Federation for Aging Research: The TAME Trial

   will engage over 3,000 individuals between the ages of 65-79

More claims, checked

• Not provenCarnivore diet
• Not provenGlucose monitor without diabetes
• Not provenCold plunges and ice baths
• Doesn't hold upSeed oils are toxic
• Doesn't hold upRaw milk
• Doesn't hold upAlkaline water and alkaline diet

See all 50 claims