The drug metformin, which helps people lower blood sugar levels and treats type 2 diabetes, may also protect against cancer, cognitive decline, and heart disease.

NPR reported that this is due to its anti-inflammatory effects, costing less than one dollar a day under some insurance plans.

Scientists are testing their hypothesis through a study called the TAME trial to see if metformin can slow aging and prevent disease in healthy older adults, aiming to enroll 3,000 people ages 65 to 79 over six years.

Mayor Cantor and her husband, attorney Michael Cantor, take metformin and credit the drug with improving their quality of life, both of whom are in their mid-sixties.

Michael started taking the drug 10 years ago to help manage his weight and blood sugar, and Shari began taking it during the pandemic after hearing that it might prevent infection.

Michael told NPR, "I told all my friends about it.. we all want to live a little longer and healthier."

Stephen Austad, chief scientific advisor at the American Federation for Aging Research who studies the biology of aging, said, “I don’t know if metformin extends human lifespan, but the existing evidence suggests that it might."

Studies indicate that metformin reduces the risk of blood, urinary tract, and gastrointestinal cancers.

Austad pointed to a British study that found the drug reduces the risk of dementia in people who took it for type 2 diabetes, and those on metformin were also less likely to die from cardiovascular diseases.

This prompted Austad and other researchers to conduct a clinical trial, as most benefits of metformin for aging were based on observational data.

Austad said, "A group of us went to the FDA to ask them to approve the metformin trial.. if you can help prevent multiple problems at the same time as we believe metformin may do, that’s the ultimate goal of preventive medicine."

Michael and his wife reported that they have not experienced any negative side effects, although some metformin users reported issues with building new muscle and vitamin B deficiency.