Dr. Kevin Toman explains how acarbose, a diabetes drug that alters gut bacteria, adds 7-10% more lifespan when combined with rapamycin in male dogs. The benefit comes from keeping dietary sugar in the intestines instead of the bloodstream. Side effects include softer stools and gas.
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Well, hey you guys, and welcome to HelpingPetsLiveLonger.com. I'm Dr. Kevin, and I'm glad you're here. I'll bet you already know about the longevity benefits of rapamycin for your pets. Heck, it's the most widely used prescription longevity drug in the world for both humans and for pets, and has been proven to extend lifespan by up to 12% in every mammal species studied to date. But here's the thing. Did you know that there was a second drug that we could use right alongside rapamycin very safely that might increase your pet's lifespan by an additional 7 to 10%? That's a drug called Acarbose, and that is what we're talking about today. Acarbose has been around on the human market for over 2 decades under the trade name of Precoce, and its primary use has always been in lowering blood sugar levels in the treatment of diabetes. How does it do this, you ask? Well, when you and I take an oral Acarbose tablet, it alters the bacterial populations within our gut.. And as a result, we keep more of the sugar that we eat in the gut to be pooped out and less gets, gets absorbed through the intestinal wall where it would raise the blood sugar levels. But about 5 years ago, some really smart folks at the Interventional Testing Program found that acarbose, like our old pal rapamycin, was one of 9 drugs at that point that actually extended lifespan. And here's the really cool part. When you use ACARBOS alongside rapamycin, it increased lifespan by an additional 7 to 10% over what was seen with rapamycin alone. In other words, rapamycin plus ACARBOS is a synergistic approach to increasing our pets' longevity. Now, here's the thing. It only worked in males. So if, uh, if you have a female, unfortunate, I've got nothing for you in the, in the discussion of ACARBOS here. The other thing you should understand about ACARBOS is that because it's keeping that extra sugar in the GI tract where it'll eventually be pooped out, you may see softer stools for a little bit. You may get some dreaded dog farts, but that's a small price to pay for extending the lifespan of your male dog by an additional 7 to 10%. If you have any questions at all about your pet's longevity or their health, please get in touch with me. You can reach me at Dr. Kevin Toman @thelongevityvet.com. That's just D-R-K-E-V-I-N with no period in there. Dr. Kevin at the longevity— at the longevityvet.com. We're all in this together, guys, and I will help you if I can. Have a great day, and thanks again for visiting helpingpetslivelonger.com.
