Geroprotector

A geroprotector is any drug, supplement, or lifestyle change that targets the basic mechanisms of aging. The goal is to extend your healthspan. Unlike treatments aimed at one disease, geroprotectors act on shared upstream processes. Those include mTOR signaling and senescent-cell buildup. They also include DNA-damage responses and mitochondrial dysfunction. Moskalev, Kennedy, and colleagues (Aging Cell, 2016) proposed four criteria. A geroprotector should extend lifespan across a population. It should shift aging markers toward a younger state. It should be safe, with a wide margin between dose and harm. And it should have few side effects. The Geroprotectors.org database (Moskalev et al., 2015) lists over 200 candidates. Examples are rapamycin, metformin, resveratrol, and NAD⁺ precursors. The evidence leans heavily on animals. Rapamycin reliably extends lifespan in mice. It also shows immune-rejuvenating signals in early human trials. Yet no trial in healthy adults has proven a benefit for lifespan or healthspan (Konopka & Lamming, 2023). The field is largely investigational. The TAME trial (Targeting Aging with Metformin) is among the first to test one against a combined aging endpoint.

Last reviewed: June 22, 2026

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