Aging itself
Approaches that target biological aging itself rather than a single disease. This is where claims run furthest ahead of evidence: most entries have animal or surrogate-marker data, and none has shown in a randomised trial that it extends human life.
17 approaches: 3 available now, 3 in human trials, 4 early human signal, 7 experimental. Grades from A to D describe the human evidence; how we rate.
| Approach | Stage | Evidence | One-line verdict | Reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rapamycin (mTOR inhibition)Aging itself | Approved drug, off-label use | Cstrong animal data | Extends lifespan across many animal species, but there is no human outcome data for longevity and side effects such as poor wound healing and infection are real. | Jul 2026 |
| Acarbose (alpha-glucosidase inhibitor)Aging itself | Approved drug, off-label use | Cstrong animal data | One of the most reproducible lifespan extenders in mice, mainly in males, but there is no human longevity trial. | Jul 2026 |
| Cardiorespiratory fitness (VO₂max) & strengthAging itself | Established | Blarge cohorts | In large observational cohorts the top VO₂max quartile has about 4 to 5 times lower all-cause mortality than the bottom, and nothing pharmacological on this list comes close. | Jul 2026 |
| Rentosertib (ISM001-055) — AI-discovered TNIK inhibitorAging itself | Phase 3, for lung fibrosis | Cpost-hoc biomarker | Six aging clocks moved in 42 lung-fibrosis patients over 12 weeks, a design that cannot separate slowed aging from a treated lung, and no healthy-volunteer or outcome data exist. | Sep 2026 |
| Senolytics (Dasatinib + Quercetin, Fisetin)Aging itself | Phase 1/2 | Csmall human studies | Small human studies show the drugs can be given, with off-target side effects, but no durable benefit in people has been shown. | Jul 2026 |
| Partial epigenetic reprogramming (Life Biosciences ER-100)Aging itself | Phase 1, in the eye | Danimal data only | A first-in-human safety trial in the eye has started, but every efficacy result so far comes from animals. | Jul 2026 |
| Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE / 'blood cleaning')Aging itself | Early clinical | Csmall trial, surrogate | A small trial lowered biological-age scores by about 1.3 years, a surrogate marker, and there is no outcome data. | Jul 2026 |
| Geroprotector stack — interventions that lower epigenetic ageAging itself | Human biomarker data | Cassociations, surrogate marker | A review of interventions associated with lower epigenetic age, a surrogate marker, with no outcome data showing that the stack extends human life. | Jul 2026 |
| Urolithin A (mitophagy activator)Aging itself | Human biomarker trials | BRCTs, function markers | Randomised trials show modest gains in muscle strength, endurance and immune markers, but there is no lifespan or disease-outcome data. | Jul 2026 |
| Molecular hydrogen (hydrogen-rich water)Aging itself | Early clinical, one pilot | Dsingle pilot | One unreplicated 40-person pilot found longer telomeres, a surrogate marker, there is no outcome data, and most claims come from sellers. | Jul 2026 |
| Systemic in-vivo reprogramming (Yamanaka factors)Aging itself | Preclinical | Dmouse studies | Mice show reversed aging markers, but the cancer risk is unsolved and no person has received it systemically. | Jul 2026 |
| Trametinib + Rapamycin combinationAging itself | Preclinical, mice | Dsingle mouse study | The combination extended mouse lifespan by about 27 to 29% in one study and has not been tested for aging in people. | Jul 2026 |
| Taurine supplementationAging itself | Preclinical, human trials under way | Danimal data only | Extended healthy lifespan by about 10 to 12% in mice, but there is no human outcome data and later analyses question whether taurine really declines with age. | Jul 2026 |
| Next-gen NAD+ boosters (NMN / NMNH / NRH)Aging itself | Supplement, early trials | CNAD levels only | Trials show these supplements raise NAD+ levels 2 to 3 times, but there is no human outcome data on lifespan or disease. | Jul 2026 |
| Mitochondrial transplantation & mtDNA repairAging itself | Preclinical | Dmouse and lab | Mitochondrial DNA damage rising after 60 is documented, but correcting it has only been shown in mice and no human transplant data exist. | Jul 2026 |
| Targeting 'inflammaging' (chronic low-grade inflammation)Aging itself | Preclinical | Done mouse study | Boosting one anti-inflammatory protein made old mice stronger, while human approaches remain early with no outcome data. | Jul 2026 |
| Lithocholic acid (LCA) — a calorie-restriction mimeticAging itself | Preclinical, animals only | Danimals only, no human data | Two Nature papers show a bile acid reproducing calorie-restriction effects in mice, worms and flies. There is no human data, and the same molecule is a standard way to induce liver injury in rodents. | Oct 2026 |
Guides
- Do longevity supplements work? What the evidence shows. NMN and other NAD+ boosters, urolithin A, taurine and hydrogen water, each graded by the human evidence behind it. None has outcome data yet.
- Biological age tests and aging clocks: what a lower number means. Aging clocks, epigenetic age and telomere length are surrogate markers. What a younger result can and cannot tell you, with examples from the radar.
- Anti-aging drugs in 2026: which have been tested in people. Rapamycin, acarbose, senolytics, rentosertib and reprogramming therapies, sorted by how far each has got in human testing and what the trials measured.
Other topics
Cancer Brain & neurodegeneration Heart & cardiovascular Diabetes & metabolic All 46 entries