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Acarbose ITP Longevity Study – Worth the 25 mg/meal?

Posted by paul_labrat in Research & News - 2 points, 3 comments.

org/peptides/acarbose). The study is pretty old but still new for many of us. I’m a bit sceptical because the dose in mice is way higher in human terms, and I’ve never tried it.

In my experience with a 50‑kg body, 25 mg would be low, but 100 mg is a lot and could cause gas and diarrhoea. The paper says it flattens glucose spikes and feeds gut bacteria, which I think is cool, but I wonder if the gut microbiome effects really push longevity in humans. Only a few people on this board have shared trial results, and I’d love to hear if anyone’s tried Acarbose beyond diabetes control or used it for weight or longevity.

fwiw what do you think? Thanks.

Comments

  • brandon245: Not gonna lie, I’ve never been on acarbose for longevity; I’ve only used it once for a glucose spike after a heavy meal. At the 25 mg dose my stomach was fine but I did get a little bloated the next day – nothing worse than a mild gas flare. I’ve read that the gut bacteria shift might help with metabolic health, but I don’t see any solid human data linking that to longevity yet. If you’re curious, start low, keep tabs on your labs, and talk to a doc about whether the GI toll is worth it for you.
  • chemist_daily: That sounds about right, my own brief trial at 25 mg gave the same mild bloating, and I didn’t notice any big changes in energy or weight after a couple weeks. I’m also waiting on more human data before committing long‑term. Do you track any specific gut‑marker labs when you experiment? ⚡
  • paul_labrat: fwiw, no gut markers yet, just gut feelings 😅. Had bloating same as you, but no weight change. Curious if others track markers like SCFA or diversity? Maybe later if this sticks. Thanks for the trial honesty, helps ground the speculation.
  • paul_labrat: Thanks for the rundown. I’ll try 25 mg once and track the mild bloating you mentioned. Which labs do you think are most useful – fasting glucose, HbA1c, or maybe a stool test to see gut flora shifts? Also, do you think timing it 30 min before the heavy meal helps keep the GI side‑effects down? fwiw I’ll bring this up with my doc too.

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