Hormonal
Acarbose extends median lifespan in male mice significantly more than in female mice, despite reducing body weight more in females.
Acarbose, a drug used to manage blood sugar spikes, significantly extends the lifespan of male mice, but has a much smaller effect on female mice. This benefit is not simply due to weight loss, as females lost more weight than males. This suggests that managing post-meal glucose spikes may have sex-specific longevity benefits, particularly for males.
Acarbose increased male median lifespan by 22% (P < 0.0001), but increased female median lifespan by only 5% (P = 0.01). This sexual dimorphism in ACA lifespan effect could not be explained by differences in effects on weight.
Why this rating
Large effect size (22%), high statistical significance (P<0.0001), replicated across three sites, though mechanism in females is less clear.
Source
Acarbose, 17‐α‐estradiol, and nordihydroguaiaretic acid extend mouse lifespan preferentially in males
David E. Harrison et al. · Aging Cell · 2013
DOI 10.1111/acel.12170
More from this paper
- Nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA) extends median lifespan in male mice across multiple doses, but has no effect on female lifespan even when blood levels are matched to males.Good
- 17-alpha-estradiol extends median lifespan in male mice, with effects varying significantly by testing site, but has no effect on female lifespan.Moderate
- Methylene blue does not significantly extend median lifespan in male or female mice, but significantly increases maximum lifespan (90th percentile) in females.Moderate
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