Research
Hormonal
Pharmacological activation of autophagy using mTOR inhibitors (e.g., rapamycin) or AMPK activators (e.g., metformin, AICAR) can extend lifespan and reduce inflammation in animal models.
Drugs like rapamycin and metformin can boost autophagy and extend lifespan in mice, but they have side effects in humans. Focus on lifestyle changes first, as they activate the same pathways safely.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Rapamycin, a recognized inhibitor of mTOR, could extend lifespan in mice if fed late in their life.
Why this rating
Strong evidence in mice, but human data is limited and side effects are noted.
Source
Inflammaging: disturbed interplay between autophagy and inflammasomes
Antero Salminen et al. · Aging · 2012
DOI 10.18632/aging.100444
narrative_reviewCited 487×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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