Longevity drugs · metabolic
SGLT2 inhibitors
Glucose-lowering drugs with strong heart and kidney outcome data, even outside diabetes.
Not medical advice — talk to a licensed clinician. Content is educational, reflects published literature, and is not a recommendation to start, stop or change any treatment.
What it is
Oral medications that make the kidneys excrete excess glucose. Approved for diabetes, heart failure and chronic kidney disease.
How it works, in plain English
Block glucose re-absorption in the kidney, lowering blood sugar and producing mild calorie loss, diuresis and metabolic shifts toward fat burning.
What the human evidence shows
EMPA-REG, EMPEROR and EMPA-KIDNEY trials showed reduced cardiovascular death, heart-failure hospitalization and kidney decline. Canagliflozin extended lifespan in male mice in the ITP.
Regrowth grade A: Strong human RCT evidence.
Typical protocols in the literature
Commonly a single daily oral dose (e.g., empagliflozin 10 mg).
Described for education, not as dosing advice.
Side effects & interactions
Side effects
- Genital yeast infections
- Dehydration
- Rare euglycemic ketoacidosis
Interactions
- Diuretics
- Insulin
Key studies
- EMPA-REG OUTCOME
- EMPEROR-Reduced / Preserved
- EMPA-KIDNEY
- ITP canagliflozin
Citations pending medical review