Rapamycin, but not resveratrol or simvastatin, extends life span of genetically heterogeneous mice

Miller RA, Harrison DE, Astle CM, Baur JA, Boyd AR, de Cabo R, Fernandez E, Flurkey K, Javors MA, Nelson JF, Orihuela CJ, …, Strong R · 2011 · J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci · Atlas ID MIL2011

What this study shows

In the same experimental design that showed rapamycin extended median lifespan by 10-18%, neither resveratrol nor simvastatin had any significant effect on survival - a direct head-to-head negative control run at the same time, in the same mice.

Abstract

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Rapamycin was administered in food to genetically heterogeneous mice from the age of 9 months and produced significant increases in life span, including maximum life span, at each of three test sites. Median survival was extended by an average of 10% in males and 18% in females. Rapamycin attenuated age-associated decline in spontaneous activity in males but not in females. Causes of death were similar in control and rapamycin-treated mice. Resveratrol (at 300 and 1200 ppm food) and simvastatin (12 and 120 ppm) did not have significant effects on survival in male or female mice.

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At a glance

Evidence type	A Animal model Marked A because it is an animal study reporting a negative or null result (model: Mouse (genetically heterogeneous, ITP, 3 sites)); a well-designed null result is still evidence, and the code names the system studied, not the importance.
Study type	4 - Animal Study
Model system	Mouse (genetically heterogeneous, ITP, 3 sites)
Journal	J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci
Year	2011
Peer reviewed	Yes
Record last updated	2026-10-01
Source	DOI 10.1093/gerona/glq178 · PMID 20974732 · Free full text (PMC3021372)

Extracted findings

These fields were extracted from the paper with AI assistance and have not been checked against the source. Read them as a pointer into the paper, not as curated claims; where they disagree with the curated summary above, the curated summary stands.

Intervention	Rapamycin (vs resveratrol, simvastatin)
Target	mTOR
Model	Mouse (genetically heterogeneous, ITP, 3 sites)
Effect	Rapamycin from 9 months extended lifespan (males +10%, females +18%); resveratrol and simvastatin did not

In the Atlas

Cite this paper

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Miller, R. A., Harrison, D. E., Astle, C. M., Baur, J. A., Boyd, A. R., de Cabo, R., Fernandez, E., Flurkey, K., Javors, M. A., Nelson, J. F., Orihuela, C. J., Pletcher, S., Sharp, Z. D., Sinclair, D., Starnes, J. W., Wilkinson, J. E., Nadon, N. L., & Strong, R. (2011). Rapamycin, but not resveratrol or simvastatin, extends life span of genetically heterogeneous mice. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/glq178

@article{MIL2011,
  author       = {Miller, R. A. and Harrison, D. E. and Astle, C. M. and Baur, J. A. and Boyd, A. R. and de Cabo, R. and Fernandez, E. and Flurkey, K. and Javors, M. A. and Nelson, J. F. and Orihuela, C. J. and Pletcher, S. and Sharp, Z. D. and Sinclair, D. and Starnes, J. W. and Wilkinson, J. E. and Nadon, N. L. and Strong, R.},
  title        = {{Rapamycin, but not resveratrol or simvastatin, extends life span of genetically heterogeneous mice}},
  journal      = {J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci},
  year         = {2011},
  doi          = {10.1093/gerona/glq178},
  note         = {PMID: 20974732},
}

Cite this Atlas record

The record is the Atlas's own work — the evidence label, the extracted findings and the links. It is cited as part of the dataset, not as the paper.

Barton, O. (2026). Oliver's mTOR Atlas (record MIL2011) [Data set]. https://mtor-atlas.org/study/MIL2011/ · Dataset DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22059963

@misc{atlas_MIL2011,
  author       = {Barton, Oliver},
  title        = {{Oliver's mTOR Atlas}, record MIL2011},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://mtor-atlas.org/study/MIL2011/},
  doi          = {10.5281/zenodo.22059963}
}

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