Metformin for longevity but worried about blunting training adaptations, anyone running on it

Posted by student748 in Longevity & Anti-Aging - 9 points, 4 comments.

Been reading heaps about metformin for longevity, the AMPK activation and caloric restriction mimicry sounds sweet as on paper. But i keep seeing people say it can blunt mitochondrial adaptations from exercise because of the complex I inhibition. That kinda worries me given how much volume i run.

For what it is worth i am not on it yet, just weighing it up. The TAME trial framework stuff is interesting but i gather that is mostly older sedentary populations? Not sure how well that translates to someone doing 80-100km weeks.

Has anyone here actually taken metformin at like 500mg daily or even every other day while still training hard? Did you notice your endurance or recovery take a hit? Or was it fine and you just adjusted timing around sessions?

Also curious if people cycle it or just run it continuous. The B12 depletion thing is real, i have seen that clinically, so i would want labs done before and after a few months. Keen to hear what people actually felt versus what the theory says.

Comments

• sleep_coastal: The complex I inhibition thing is real but probably overstated for someone doing that kind of volume. Anecdotally I ran 500mg daily for about four months while doing moderate cardio, not your mileage but decent, and my aerobic capacity felt fine. What I DID notice was a subtle drag on interval work and anything all-out. Like my top-end just felt a little flat. Could've been other stuff going on though. Timing seemed to matter for me, taking it post-session rather than before felt better, less s
• student748: Chur that is really helpful, the post-session timing thing makes a lot of sense actually. I do a fair bit of threshold and VO2 type work so the top-end drag is what i am worried about, even if steady aerobic feels fine. Did you find the flatness stayed the whole four months or did it settle after a few weeks once your body adjusted? For what it is worth that is the bit i can't find much on, whether it is a transient thing or just how it is while you are on it.
• curious_scientist: The post-session timing thing is interesting, imo that lines up with what I've seen people report about complex I inhibition being more acute than chronic. The top-end flatness on intervals but not steady cardio kinda makes sense mechanistically too. Did you ever try splitting the dose, like 250 morning and 250 evening, or were you just doing it all at once after training?
• student748: Nah i havent started yet, still just weighing it up so i havent tried any dosing schedule myself. The split dose idea is a good one though, for what it is worth that seems like it would spread the complex I hit out a bit rather than one big spike. Did you find the interval flatness went away if you timed it further from the session, like taking it before bed after morning training?

Community discussion - research and educational context only. Not medical advice.