Please ask and report back as a data point! I obtain Metformin through non-traditional channels, as I don't have a PCP and Walgreens/CVS aren't able to prescribe it off label. Life would be easier if it could just end up in my mailbox once a month/every three months.

Alldaychemist.com can do just that. I’ve found them quite reliable and certainly better than your normal pharmacy experience if you can wait on the package to arrive from India.

This makes sense. Glucose at above certain levels ruins cells, so Metformin lowers the glucose level. Asking the doc is key, you can't just read an article and try to find 4-5 meds to take each day :)

You can also eat a very low-carb diet. Restricting your carbs to foods like greens and berries will have the same effect without the need for a prescription. Gluconeogenesis is demand-driven.

Of course, in the context of anti-aging, Metformin may have other beneficial effects outside of moderating glucose levels.

Yeah, but taking a pill and eating what you want (more or less) is much better

Fasting is also a good idea. It forces your body to kill off marginal cells for food, rather than leaving them to potentially become cancer.

Can you cite a source please? I would be very interested in reading it

Not the parent but try searching online for fasting and autophagy. There are countless sources regarding this link.

Another good recent study is the intestinal stem cell regenerative boost after a 24 hour fast in mice.

One might say that the links are still not solid, but we do know that lowering glucose levels might be a good idea (hence the interest in metformin) and fasting/keto certainly achieves that without a drug.

I really like the stuff that Mark Sisson writes on fasting[0], because he explains and links all his sources.

0. https://www.marksdailyapple.com/health-benefits-of-intermitt...

Oh, that's a cute concrete theory I've never heard before.

I do fast occasionally, but not as often as I'd wish.

If you want to learn more, the biological process is called “autophagy”.

I don't think it's primary effect on lifespan is through glucose regulation. There are other diabetes medications that don't have this same effect.

Also see https://www.gwern.net/Longevity#metformin for more info.

I've been trying Berberine, which controls blood glucose effectively at 1000-1500mg per day doses.

That's in Goldenseal, which I've never heard of having an anti-ageing effect.