- OpenAI CEO Sam Altman takes the diabetes drug metformin to slow down aging.
- His anti-aging regimen also includes healthy eating, exercising, and getting enough sleep.
- He’s secretly invested in Retro Biosciences, a startup whose mission is to “add 10 years to healthy human lifespan.”
Sam Altman, the CEO of ChatGPT-maker OpenAI, takes a diabetes drug called metformin as part of his efforts to live longer, the MIT Technology Review reported.
Metformin is a decades-old drug that is prescribed to millions of people with diabetes, CNBC reported. The World Health organization lists the drug as an essential medicine that every strong modern healthcare system should have.
Altman isn’t alone hoping the medicine will help him live longer. Many Silicon Valley “biohackers” are taking metformin as part of their anti-aging regimens. Some research suggests the pill, which costs about $0.10 to $0.20, can slow down the effects of aging by reducing cognitive decline and vision loss, and preventing cancer and dementia.
In addition to the drug, Altman’s said his anti-aging regimen includes “trying to eat healthy, exercise, and sleep enough,” per the MIT Technology Review.
It’s not the first time he’s mentioned his health routine. In a 2018 blog post, he detailed his efforts. He wrote that he avoids eating sugar or anything extra spicy, as those foods can “aggravate” his digestion or cause inflammation. He added that he does drinks protein shakes, even which he “hates” them, and drinks “one big” espresso shot when he wakes up.
He also lifts heavy weights three times a week, along with the occasional session of high intensity interval training, an exercise program that helps him “feel the best overall,” per the blog post.
His sleep routine involves a “cold, dark, quiet room,” which he wrote increases sleep quality. He sometimes uses a Chili Pad if the room isn’t cold enough. Altman also wrote that he takes a “low dose of sleeping pills” or a “very low dose of cannabis” whenever insomnia hits.
When he does get sick and spirals, he calls his mom, dermatologist Connie Gibstine, according to The New Yorker.
“I have to reassure him that he doesn’t have meningitis or lymphoma, that it’s just stress,” Gibstine told The New Yorker.
His longevity efforts may one day include a therapy from Retro Biosciences, a startup whose mission is to “add 10 years to healthy human lifespan.” The company uses genetic engineering and plasma replacement to make cells younger, per the MIT Technology Review.
Altman secretly poured $180 million dollars into Retro Bioscience’s death-delaying treatment, the MIT Technology Review reported. He is part of a group of wealthy tech billionaires — like Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, and Twitter’s Jack Dorsey — who are investing in biotech startups working on life-extension treatments.
Altman and Retro Biosciences did not respond to requests for comment from Insider.
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