What is rapamycin? Devotees claim the drug can slow aging

Rapamycin is a naturally occurring compound primarily used to prevent organ rejection in transplant patients.It’s also considered a promising anti-aging drug among longevity seekers.Rapamycin has been trending on social media, where biohackers such as Dr.

Peter Attia and Bryan Johnson tout it as the “gold standard” for people seeking to live a longer, healthier life.Also known as sirolimus or Rapamune, rapamycin inhibits the activity of a protein called mTOR, which helps regulate cell growth and metabolism.

Suppressing mTOR seems to weaken inflammation and accelerate autophagy, a process of purging damaged materials from cells.Chronic inflammation is associated with diabetes, heart disease and muscle pain, so reducing it could yield several health benefits.And increasing autophagy could conceivably clear toxic proteins such as amyloid-beta and tau.

Accumulation of these two proteins in the brain can lead to Alzheimer’s disease.It’s unclear how many people are taking rapamycin for its anti-aging properties since the drug is typically taken off-label or purchased from overseas providers, the New York Times reports.Scientists were initially tipped off to rapamycin’s anti-aging potential in 2006 when a study revealed the compound could extend the lifespan of yeast.In 2009, other researchers found that mice who were dosed with rapamycin lived 12% longer than those who went without.Initially believed to increase the risk of cancer, further research revealed that rapamycin actually prevents lymphoma and some types of cancer in transplant patients.

Rapamycin has shown to be the most effective cancer-preventive agent in mice.Dr.Dean Kellogg Jr., a professor of medicine and geriatrics at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, tells the Times that while many medications were tested for their anti-aging properties as part of a National Institute on Aging research program, “rapamycin was the first one that actually made a difference i...