Biologist explains why longevity drugs work only for men: the reason will surprise you

Modern longevity drugs work only for men. According to the biologist, in laboratories around the world, researchers test new drugs only on male mice, without taking into account the significant differences between females.

Dr. Stephen Ostad, a biologist and author of the bestselling book Methuselah's Zoo, called this a serious problem. After all, sexual differences between rodents are significant, and the differences between virgin female mice and mice that have given birth are even greater, The Guardian writes.

For years, scientists have been trying to find a cure to extend human life expectancy. It's a multi-billion dollar industry that's been called the most exciting scientific challenge in modern history. And the first "healing" drugs that are already on the market are very popular. However, biologist Stephen Ostad emphasizes that scientific experiments of all drugs in laboratories are tested only on male mice.

According to Dr. Stephen, a drug that has only been tested on male mice is "unlikely" to work on females. And it would also be "more or less a complete coincidence" if it also worked on women who gave birth.

"This is a huge problem. The lack of in-depth studies on female mice means that we only know what works on male mice and completely exclude females," Ostad said.

According to the scientist, about 75% of drugs that extend the life span of mice work only on males. That is, the drugs were developed on male mice and then tested on both sexes belatedly to find that females did not respond.

And although researchers know that female mice respond differently to drugs than males, they have not conducted any additional studies that could help women live healthier and longer.

For example, in 1993, the first articles on low-methionine diets were published. It was found that the diet prolonged the life of rats by more than 40%. Several follow-up studies were conducted during the 1990s. However, only 12 years later, scientists admitted that the tests were conducted exclusively on males. When the study was repeated with females, it turned out that the healing diet for male mice caused the early death of many females.

Associate Professor Jennifer Harrison of the Buck Institute for Aging Research has criticized virtually all longevity drugs as failing women. She said even the few studies that included virgin female mice ignored the time when these mice were in their reproductive cycle.

"You definitely have to take that into account because women's physiology is very different throughout the cycle. If you don't check where they are in their cycle, it's like being blindfolded," Harrison told the inventors of anti-aging drugs.

The scientists emphasize that more needs to be spent on understanding these sex differences "so that we can develop medicines that will benefit both sexes. Women deserve to be taken seriously. Science really needs to change to respect that."

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