Targeting Aging with Metformin (TAME)

This planned clinical trial will test metformin, a low-cost medicine used to treat type 2 diabetes. Researchers intend to randomly assign about 3,000 adults ages 65 to 79 to take metformin or a placebo, an inactive look-alike pill. They will follow participants for about six years and track conditions such as cancer, heart disease, dementia, and death. The study has not reported results yet.

What this means for you: Do not take metformin for aging based on this study. It may help people with diabetes, but whether it extends healthy life in otherwise healthy older adults remains unknown.