This oral high blood pressure drug could slow down aging

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Scientists from the University of Liverpool have discovered that a drug called rilmenidine, which is currently used to treat high blood pressure, can extend lifespan and slow aging.

They found that animals treated with rilmenidine, both at a young age and an older age, had increased lifespans and improved health markers, mimicking the effects of caloric restriction.

The team also found that the healthspan and lifespan benefits of rilmenidine treatment are mediated by the I1-imidazoline receptor nish-1. They identified this receptor as a potential target for longevity.

Unlike other drugs previously studied for this purpose, rilmenidine is an oral high-blood pressure medication that is widely prescribed and has rare and non-severe side effects.

This means that rilmenidine has the potential for future use in humans as a treatment for aging.

Currently, a caloric restriction diet has been considered the most robust anti-aging intervention, promoting longevity across species. However, the effect of caloric restriction on humans has had mixed results and side effects.

Therefore, finding medications like rilmenidine that can mimic the benefits of caloric restriction is the most reasonable anti-aging strategy.

The team says with a global aging population, the benefits of delaying aging, even if slightly, are immense.

Repurposing drugs capable of extending lifespan and healthspan has a huge untapped potential in translational geroscience.

For the first time, this study has been able to show in animals that rilmenidine can increase lifespan. The researchers are now keen to explore if rilmenidine may have other clinical applications.

This study was conducted by Professor João Pedro Magalhães and his team, and it was published in Aging Cell.

If you care about high blood pressure, please read studies about a safe and more effective way to treat high blood pressure, and many people with high blood pressure may take a drug making it worse.

For more information about blood pressure, please see recent studies about added sugar in your diet linked to higher blood pressure, and results showing vitamin D could improve blood pressure in people with diabetes.

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