Chinese scientists say slimming pill could extend lifespan – and how long we live well

Aldometanib reported to lower glucose in mice without causing level to dip too low, and improve fatty liver and other metabolic disorders in obese rodents

Drug was developed based on the mechanism of an ancient Chinese fasting practice called bigu, or ‘grain avoidance’

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A team led by scientists from Xiamen University in China say they have developed a new drug to mimic glucose starvation at the cellular level. Image: Shutterstock Images

Published: 7:00pm, 18 Oct 2022

Chinese scientists say they have developed a potential longevity drug that induces pseudo-starvation in the cells to activate an energy-regulating enzyme and reduce fat storage.

The team, led by researchers from Xiamen University, said the chemical compound had also been shown to extend the lifespan and healthspan, or period spent in good health, of worms and mice, adding it was a potential therapy for treating metabolic disorders such as diabetes and fatty liver disease.

Lead author Professor Lin Shengcai, a metabolic biologist at Xiamen University, said the drug was developed based on the mechanism of an ancient Chinese fasting practice called bigu, or “grain avoidance”.

It involved long-term abstinence from the “five grains” – cultivars of rice, wheat and millet, hemp seeds and soybeans – for heightened spirituality, health and longevity. Today, it is better known as fasting or intermittent starvation.

“Our drug mimics the god-given pathway for bigu and is designed for longevity. We found the key to life extension in calorie restrictions and fasting,” the Chinese Academy of Sciences scientist said.

“I am extremely excited about my drug, the first one locally developed from scratch, from mechanism, pathway, target to clinical benefits, in China,” Lin said, adding that the team hoped to test the product in human clinical trials in a few years.

The team, which also includes researchers from Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital, Tsinghua University and the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics of CAS, published their findings in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Metabolism on October 10.

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