During a conversation on The Joe Rogan Experience, longevity expert David Sinclair revealed that among all the supplements and interventions he personally takes, metformin is the one he considers most unconventional.
Sinclair revealed his nightly routine, stating “I also take at night some metformin, which is probably the most radical thing that I take, which is a prescribed level d**g for diabetes”
Sinclair was quick to clarify that he does not have diabetes. When Rogan pressed him on why he takes a prescription diabetes d**g when he doesn’t have the condition, Sinclair explained that he took it for “preventing cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and aging.”
Sinclair pointed to large-scale human data as the reason he takes the d**g. He said that in studies of 10,000 people or more, it has been shown that people who take metformin, even those who have diabetes, are protected against other diseases of aging, including frailty.
He continued: “Most scientists, if you ask them in my field, will say yeah metformin is likely to extend your lifespan. It’s just that the FDA doesn’t let you have it for aging because aging isn’t a disease yet.”
Rogan then asked whether a person would need to actually develop diabetes to obtain it, or find what he called “a sneaky doctor.” Sinclair didn’t object to the framing entirely, but said the more accurate description is that a doctor “typically has to be convinced because they don’t keep up with the literature.” He confirmed that prescribing metformin for aging or disease prevention is an off-label use.
When Rogan asked about his dosage, Sinclair explained: “I take a gram of that
as well which is about a low dose, as some diabetics take 2 grams so it’s not crazy amounts.”
Regarding side effects, Sinclair characterized metformin as generally well tolerated.  He stated: “The good news is that it’s extremely rare that you get sick from any of these molecules. In millions of patients around the world, nobody’s getting sick. The worst you’ll have, as far as I can tell, is a stomach upset.”
