How many times have you heard that to live longer you have to eat less? calorie restriction has been the holy grail of longevity for decades, confirmed in laboratories on hundreds of animal species. The problem is simple: who among you can really eat 30% less for your entire life? Almost no one. Luckily, science has just confirmed that there is an equally effective alternative. If you read us, you have known about it for a while: it is called Rapamycin, comes from the soil of Easter Island and offers the same effects as fasting without forcing you to give up your favorite dish. A very substantial comparative study has just put an end to one of the most debated issues in anti-aging medicine. Shall we talk about it? But first, a curiosity to get a running start.
The Mystery of Easter Island
Rapamycin has a fascinating history. It was first isolated in 1972 from soil samples collected on Easter Island in 1964. The bacteria in that remote terrain produced a substance that would prove to be a treasure trove of modern medicine.
Initially developed as an immunosuppressant for organ transplants, rapamycin has progressively shown unexpected properties. As I was pointing out in this article, its ability to interfere with the mTOR pathway has made it a protagonist in anti-aging research.
The Impossible Challenge of Calorie Restriction
Eat less to live longer. It seems easy to say, much less easy to do. In laboratories, calorie restriction works perfectly: mice that eat 30-40% less than their peers live longer, feel better, and age more slowly. The same goes for yeast, worms, flies. Even primates. And for humans? Zahida Sultanova and his colleagues fromUniversity of East Anglia they wanted to see things clearly once and for all.
Dietary restriction has been the gold standard for living longer, but it is difficult to maintain long-term for most of us.
The team sifted through thousands of scientific papers, eventually analyzing 167 studies conducted on eight different vertebrate species, from fish to rhesus monkeys. The goal was ambitious, to compare the effects of three approaches to longevity: traditional caloric restriction, rapamycin, and metformin. Results? Read here.
Effects of rapamycin: all defeated by a hair's breadth
The results published in the magazine aging cell they are incredible. The effects of rapamycin have been shown to be identical to caloric restriction in extending life. of all eight species analyzed. Males and females benefit equally, regardless of the type of food restriction adopted.
La metformin, a type 2 diabetes drug that many they considered promising, has disappointed expectations. No clear benefit on longevity, despite being currently the subject of the TAME study, a clinical trial on over 3.000 people.
How Rapamycin Effects Work in Our Body
The secret lies in target mechanism of rapamycin (mTOR), a protein that regulates cell growth and metabolism. When rapamycin reaches mTOR, it blocks its activity. It's like turning off a switch that normally tells cells to grow and multiply.
This mechanism perfectly mimics what happens during caloric restriction. The body interprets the reduction of nutrients as a signal to activate cellular repair mechanisms and slow down aging. Research shows that Rapamycin stimulates autophagy, a process by which cells shed damaged components and renew themselves. It's as if each cell were doing a spring cleaning, eliminating accumulated waste.
The effects of rapamycin on laboratory animals
The data on animals is impressive. Matt Kaeberlein, biologist of theUniversity of Washington, has documented how Rapamycin extends the life of mice by 17-18%. But the benefits go beyond simple longevity. Treated animals show cognitive improvements, reduced brain and muscle inflammation, and an overall slowing of the aging process. They don't just live longer: they live better.
The transition to man is more complex. A systematic review published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity analyzed 19 clinical studies, confirming improvements in the immune, cardiovascular and skin systems.
Jonathan An, dentist of theUniversity of Washington, is conducting an innovative clinical trial. It uses rapamycin to treat gum disease in patients over 50, starting from the principle that aging is the underlying cause of many age-related diseases. The first human results of the effects of rapamycin on the skin are also encouraging. As I was telling you here, topical applications of rapamycin have shown increases in collagen e reductions in markers of cellular aging.
Furthermore: other recent research has revealed how rapamycin and caloric restriction act through partially different pathways. This is important because it suggests that the two approaches may have additive effects when combined. Mikhail Blagosklonny, a longevity expert, has proposed a personalized approach. Instead of standard doses, he suggests calibrate rapamycin based on the specific diseases that each person might develop. A precision medicine approach applied to anti-aging.
Future prospects for research
Rapamycin is opening new avenues in longevity medicine. Combinations with other drugs, as the trametinib, have been shown to extend the lifespan of mice by 30%, suggesting that the future may lie in personalized anti-aging cocktails.
Thousands of people are already experimenting with rapamycin off-label, often without medical supervision. A 2023 survey of 333 users showed self-reported benefits on mood, pain, and cognitive function, but also highlighted the need for more rigorous studies.
A future without aging?
The 167 studies analyzed by Sultanova represent the strongest evidence ever collected on anti-aging drugs. Rapamycin is no longer a hope: it is a documented scientific reality.
Of course, that doesn’t mean you should run to your doctor for a prescription. Human research is still in its infancy, optimal dosages aren’t clear, and long-term effects need to be carefully monitored. But for the first time in history, we have a drug that can mimic the benefits of eating less without forcing us to give up the pleasures of the table. From the remote soil of Easter Island to laboratories around the world, the effects of rapamycin are teaching us that aging isn’t an inevitable fate. It’s a process we can slow, control, and maybe one day stop entirely.
