3 Longevity Drugs I QUIT (And the 4 I Take Instead) artwork

3 Longevity Drugs I QUIT (And the 4 I Take Instead)

The Human Upgrade: Biohacking for Longevity & Performance

September 1, 2026

The 3 "Longevity Drugs" That Fail the Data, and 4 Repurposed Ones Worth Considering    Back with another solo episode, this one on Big Pharma! Metformin, rapamycin, and statins are three of the most trusted names in longevity, and none of them hold up the way you've been told.
Speakers: Dave Asprey
**Dave Asprey** (0:00)
There's about a dozen known causes of aging. There are plant compounds that will kill you, there are animal compounds that will kill you, and there's pharmaceuticals that will probably kill you. Metformin has the longest track record in anti-aging, and 700 years in one form or another in medicine, and that's why people assume it's the safe default longevity choice. I just don't think so because it blunts the regeneration that you need. It doesn't make a lot of sense to recommend statins for longevity when almost any supplement out there, including something like Zinc, has better safety data and probably better protective data as well. And ni-statin is something that I actually do recommend. It won't lower your cholesterol, but it will stop something like Candida from causing systemic inflammation that makes you old and gives you brain fog. But here's the yes list. And this is a drug that I have been taking for about seven years every single night. And it is...
You're listening to The Human Upgrade with Dave Asprey.
Your body creates energy every second of every day. That process also creates wear and tear, which accelerates aging. Your mitochondria are at the center of this. They act like cellular engines. As they run, they produce oxidative exhaust in the form of free radicals. Over time, that oxidative load builds up and affects how efficiently those engines produce energy. ESS60 from my Vital C helps address this. It works like a nanoscale vacuum for your cells and helps clear out the leftover stress that builds up during normal energy production. Its structure allows it to reach the parts of your cells where energy production happens and supports steadier energy output over time. That shows up as better recovery, a sharper brain, and more energy throughout your day. It's a staple in my routine. Go to myvitalc.com, slash, d-a-v-e-s-f-a-v, to get the special offer and save up to $212 on your first order. Warning, this product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical.
Quick word from ALP. You've heard me talk about their pouches before, and they just dropped a new line called Frontier. It's their rugged, western-inspired line, with three flavors built for the open trail. Now available in 4 or 8 milligrams, you can dial in exactly where you want to be. And they just taste good. It's the same tobacco-free quality, just more control over your experience. If you already use ALP and you want more range, this is the move. This is only for adults 21 and over. Go to alppouch.com, use code Dave, get 10% off. Three of the most popular longevity drugs in the biohacking world right now don't hold up nearly as well as a reputation. If you look at what actually works in humans. I'm one of the co-founders of Unlimited.Life, which is a concierge VIP high touch medical practice, where we do more than $50,000 worth of lab work for every one of our clients. I'm saying this because I've seen it, and I'm saying this because that's what the data shows. I'm sure you've heard of these drugs, you may even be taking them. I'm going to share why they aren't things that I recommend for most people, and I'll also share some lesser-known pharma longevity drugs that you might want to consider, because there are about 12 pharmaceuticals that work really well for certain aspects of aging if you microdose them or use them off-label. And yes, it's completely legal to use them off-label, even though some doctors are scared to do it and insurance companies hate it. That's okay, we hate insurance companies, so at least there's symmetry. And to be clear, I'm not selling anything in this video. I'm just telling you what I do and what I've seen work in clients. And one thing I'm not going to talk about today that you probably think I'm going to talk about is GLP-1s. Terzepatide, Wigovia, Zempic, that whole category, they actually have really interesting longevity data. It's just that's too big for a segment inside this episode and I'll do a whole episode on those again, on top of the four or five full-length podcasts that I've done with the leaders in the field of GLP-1s. And here's what it helps to understand. Every drug that you're going to hear about today was built for a completely different disease than aging. And that's what repurposing means. It's an improved medication that hits a pathway that matters beyond what it was designed for. So in this case, if we cover out longevity, there's about a dozen known causes of aging. You can read about them in Superhuman, which is my big New York Times longevity book. But even if you don't read the book, you just want to understand, okay, if you can use a lifestyle practice, a biohack, changing your environment, a supplement, fasting, cold, whatever, to change a pathway, great. But maybe it doesn't change enough to get you the results you want. In that case, let's look at pharmaceuticals as scalpels. I'm not a fan of pharmaceuticals. I'm also not an anti-fan of pharmaceuticals. There are plant compounds that will kill you, there are animal compounds that will kill you, and there's pharmaceuticals that will probably kill you. But let's look at everything without bias. So here's what you'll learn today. The list of pharmaceuticals I don't recommend for longevity, even though some people still recommend them. And I'll cover some of the drugs you might be surprised that I think might be worth your attention and that some of our clients are using. And I'll finish this with longevity dosing info based on research. And again, I am not a physician. I am an unlicensed biohacker, but I'm a New York Times Best Selling Science writer, and well, I'm well known for lecturing to doctors about systems biology. So there is some science behind this.

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