Research

Hormonal

Rapamycin extends mean and maximum life spans in genetically heterogeneous mice when administered in mid-to-late life, making it the most strongly supported mammalian longevity therapeutic.

Rapamycin is currently the most effective known drug for extending lifespan in animal models, working by inhibiting the mTOR growth pathway. However, it carries significant risks in humans, including immune suppression, metabolic disturbances, and wound healing issues. It is not currently recommended for healthy individuals seeking longevity, but research into safer analogs (rapalogs) or intermittent dosing strategies is ongoing.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Rapamycin extends life span in yeast, worms, and flies... In 2009, rapamycin was shown to extend both mean and maximum life spans of male and female genetically heterogeneous mice... Remarkably, the treatment was not initiated until the mice had reached an advanced age (20 months)... Rapamycin extends median life span in males and females by 10% and 18%, respectively, and maximum life span by 16% and 13%.
Dudley W. Lamming et al. · Journal of Clinical Investigation · 2013

Why this rating

Strong evidence in genetically heterogeneous mice (the gold standard for longevity studies), though human data is lacking and side effects are significant.

Source

Rapalogs and mTOR inhibitors as anti-aging therapeutics

Dudley W. Lamming et al. · Journal of Clinical Investigation · 2013

DOI 10.1172/jci64099

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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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