London: A diabetes drug can extend lifespan in male mice, a new study has revealed.
The research, which was conducted on non-diabetic mice, has suggested that the type 2 diabetes medication `metformin` increased their lifespans, the BBC reported.
It was also found that it made the mice healthier when they took the drug for long-term.
Rafael de Cabo, of the National Institute on Ageing in Baltimore, Maryland, US, said that calorie restriction in laboratory animals had been shown to increase their lifespan.
Scientists believe the drug may mimic the effects of extreme calorie restriction.
The scientists gave one of two different doses of metformin to middle-aged male mice and found that lower doses increased lifespan by about 5 percent, and also delayed the onset of age-associated diseases.
However, they said the higher dose of the drug was toxic and reduced the lifespan of mice.
The study is published in the journal Nature Communications.
ANI
