Belonging to a family of medications called biguanides. Metformin is the generic name of the drug.

It is the first choice of medication prescribed by doctors for type 2 diabetes and

pre-diabetes, risk factors for developing heart disease, stroke, and other serious medical conditions.

It has been in use since the late 1950’s and is considered to be a very safe drug with little in the way of side effects.

Currently there is a major ongoing clinical trial known as The Targeting Ageing with Metformin (TAME) Trial. This is a six-year clinical trial involving over 3,000 individuals.

It is also widely regarded as a ‘wonder drug’ because of its many modes of action:

It improves insulin sensitivity and metabolism and helps with weight maintenance.

It appears to have strong senomorphic properties making senescent cells less aggressive.

It improves the gut microbiome and therefore helps the immune system.

It decreases inflammatory markers.

It improves bone mineralisation, a modest 7% increase in tissue mineral density is associated with a three-fold increase in bone stiffness and a doubling in breaking strength.

Benefits:

Reduction of osteoarthritis and osteoporosis.

Reduction of coronary heart disease.

Potential effect in reducing the risk of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

Reduces fatty liver disease.

Risks:

Some people may get mild gastrointestinal upset.

Very rare accumulation of lactic acid in people with underlying kidney or liver disease.

To find out more about our Anti-Ageing treatments and Preventative Health Assessments, you can book a preliminary consultation with one of our practitioners here or alternatively call 020 7935 4357.

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I initially wrote about Anti-Ageing in 2023, will there ever be a cure to ageing?

Over the coming months I will expand my thoughts in this area, specifically regarding the various medications and supplements used in this rapidly evolving science.

This will not be about skin creams, retinols, sun protection, botulinum toxin and dermal fillers.

I will look at products that I am familiar with in my clinical practice, some of my observations and commentary may not necessarily concur with all current research (which extensively exists).

I’ll talk about Metformin, following on with (in no order but please say if you would like one) the GLP-1 and GIP Peptides, Statins, Vitamins D, K and Bs, Fish Oils, Oestrogen, Testosterone, DHEA, NMN, Resveratrol, Acarbose, Quercetin, Spermidine and Rapamycin. This list is not exhaustive and will continue to expand as new research emerges.

Hopefully I can answer questions I get asked daily. ‘What should or could I take? Where do I get it from and how much do I take?’

The most important things in maintaining our health and lifespan remain things we all know already. To sleep well and exercise regularly focusing not only on aerobic activity but muscle strength. To remember that our mental health is as much as important as our physical health. It’s maintaining a healthy diet including periods of dietary restriction, keeping your weight and visceral fat low.

First a bit about some of the science and terms around ageing.

The risk of death roughly doubles every 8 years. Illness essentially occurs the further we get from our date of birth. Our genetic code is programmed into DNA and DNA damage is a natural consequence of ageing.

Telomeres are repetitive DNA sequences at the end of chromosomes to protect the chromosomes from becoming frayed or tangled, each time a cell divides the layers shorten. They are essential in protecting the integrity of chromosomes and organismal ageing.

Specific cells that divide many times have an enzyme called ‘telomerase’ which helps to add the telomeres back to the chromosomes.

Senescent cells are effectively old or run-down cells that have reached the end of their lives or have been damaged beyond repair. They produce a mixture of cytokines, chemokines, growth factors and extracellular matrix proteases which spread inflammation and are harmful to neighbouring cells.

In our youth, our immune system can clear them out by itself, but as we get older our body does this less effectively, leading them to accumulate and damage other cells. And the presence of a high number of senescent cells have been linked to age related diseases such as diabetes and cancer.

There are currently in excess of 20 different clinical trials of drugs that combat senescent cells (known as senolytics), targeting several different age-related conditions from Alzheimer’s to Osteoarthritis and beyond. Whilst more data is needed, the hope is that senolytics could be the key to slowing down (not just progression) of specific diseases and ageing more generally.

Senomorphics are another class of drugs being looked at. These instead of killing senescent cells, make them less aggressive.

Mitochondrial dysfunction is also often mentioned. Mitochondria in cells produce energy, they are little ‘powerhouses’ and with age their efficiency declines so they produce less energy and release chemicals that cause cell damage. This contributes to something known as oxidative stress where the body has reduced antioxidant defences.

Chronic Inflammation in the body as we age can also reduce antioxidant defences and reduce immune responses and contributes to many age-related diseases.

Proteins play a vital role in the body. Damaged proteins can accumulate in cells causing cell death.

Amyloid is a specific type of folded insoluble folded protein. This is implicated in degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Autophagy is the process by which damaged protein is removed from cells to prevent toxicity. Dysregulation of autophagy is also implied in age related diseases.

Epigenetics essentially looks at how external environmental and lifestyle factors can modify how genes are expressed without changing the DNA sequence. It is implicated in various degenerative diseases.

The gut barrier theory of ageing suggests that amongst other things, changes in the gut microorganisms and barrier function promote inflammation by increasing toxins and allowing microbes to enter the bloodstream.

Our Preventative Health Assessments address lifestyle and identify individual risk factors that contribute to diseases such as those affecting the heart , brain and early cancers. By checking markers including those that specifically predispose to heart disease, identifying visceral fat, elevated lipids, inflammatory markers, deficiencies in vitamins, minerals and hormones (including insulin), cortisol and sex hormones, individual risk factors can be addressed to improve healthspan.

Anti-ageing medicine to extend lifespan takes this one step further by further focusing on the biological mechanisms I have mentioned to reduce inflammation, oxidative stress, DNA and protein damage.

In my mind there is no happy long life without health. Many of the drugs and supplements we already use in conventional clinical practice are being shown to address both.  Diabetic drugs like metformin and acarbose improve insulin sensitivity and have senomorphic properties. The GLP-1 diabetic/weight loss injection (semaglutide) increases insulin production and improves longevity by more than just improvement in diabetes and reduction in cardiovascular illness.

To find out more about our Anti-Ageing treatments and Preventative Health Assessments, you can book a preliminary consultation with me here or alternatively call 020 7935 4357.

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This recognition highlights our commitment to providing exceptional care to our patients.

A big thank you to our patients for their fantastic feedback.

READ OUR REVIEWS HERE

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It was while working on a project called “Dreamland x Reality” with the village’s teenagers during their two-month break that I went deeper into their dreams and aspirations, as they hold the future of the village in their hands. Spending hours each week listening and talking to them made me realise that, despite the challenges, they have many dreams. As a coach, my role was to help turn those dreams into reality and find better ways to achieve them.

It was an incredible experience.

Although there were difficulties, such as the lack of basic amenities like bathrooms, showers, and running water, or even what was for us luxury of eating meat, the smiles on the children’s faces as they arrived at school every morning made up for it. It was intense days of school activities, including English lessons and helping in the kitchen to prepare meals. But it was so rewarding to know that we were somehow contributing to the future and development of an area in great need.

I want to express my gratitude to Dr Sophia Khalique, who helped me during the initial stages of this once-in-a-lifetime experience, as well as my supportive friends and family who were there for me throughout the entire period I was away. Their assistance made a significant difference, and I couldn’t have done it without them.

Johann

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In 2024 I will be doing more work around anti-ageing medicine and hope to provide you all individually tailored care. This involves keeping up to date on the latest developments to slow down ageing and extend a healthy lifespan.

Dr Mohammed Tamimi has trained as both a physician and GP and holds membership to both Royal Colleges. He has been working with me through 2023 has just been awarded, with a merit, his Masters in Nanomedicine at The University of Oxford. 

Nanomedicine looks at the microcellular environment and the unique functions that enanotechnology offers. It can therefore be used to manipulate the processes that are believed to cause ageing by allowing growth and repair of damaged ageing tissues. We will be working together on this to help us all towards our goal of eternal youth! 

Dr Bianca de Albuquerque Bandarra has also joined the team. After her significant work as an emergency surgeon in the favelas in Duque de Caxias, Rio de Janeiro, she trained and worked extensively as a GP in Northern Ireland. She has a wealth of medical and surgical experience including being qualified as a ringside boxing doctor.

I am keen to continue to support our charitable causes and to be able to support some of the increasing numbers of people that find themselves homeless in London. We are aiming by the end of this year to set up a service to offer a serendipitous opportunity to access GP services.

I am lucky enough to have the continued support of a multi-disciplinary team including many therapists. Rameez Ali is a trained social worker and addictions specialist with strong ties to the local services for ongoing support. With the experience many of the team have in charitable work and the experience Drs Tamimi and Bianca have had in this field already, I hope we will make a success of it for as many people as we can. Anyone who wants to be involved whether it be by physical presence or financial support, I would be very interested to hear from you. 

And I personally welcome the patients of Dr Jack Edmonds to the practice. I hope as a team we will be able to at least match, if not exceed, the excellent level of care he has provided you for many years.

I cannot thank you all enough for your support in the last two years at 101 Harley Street and any suggestions on how we could do things better are always gratefully received.

With all our best for 2024!

Sophia

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The purpose of this collaboration is to establish a dedicated treatment service for the highly addictive drug called Captagon – an amphetamine that is currently being mass-produced in Syria and is rapidly spreading throughout the Middle East. The trade of Captagon is estimated to be valued at over £8 billion.

Although Captagon is not known to be available in the UK, there are several similar substances, both legal and illegal, that fall under the category of amphetamines. These include Adderall, Vyvanse, Dexedrine, Desoxyn, MDMA and Methamphetamine.

I addition to the specialised treatment service featured in the Sunday Times, the Practice offers a wide range of treatments and mental health services for all forms of addiction. We also provide access to the country’s top specialists and treatment centres.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, eating disorders, or any other form of addiction, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are here to help you and initiate the recovery process.

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I’ve spent my career surrounded by exceptional females – from friends to colleagues and patients too. Every day. I am inspired by the women (and of course men too) around me, and its these people that have helped us build the practice that you see today. Since way before I first started the Dr Sophia Khalique Medical Practice Marylebone, I’ve been passionate about the idea of celebrating individuality, so making sure that it is reflected in both our medical ethos and our culture is something I’ve always put front and centre. In the team, we have staff who are British, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Indian, Brazilian, Somalian and Egyptian (to name a few), we have colleagues from all different faiths, cultures and sexualities, and as part of our corporate sponsorship and partnership focus, we look to extend our support out to other organisations that champion people from all different social and economic backgrounds too – from The Independent Doctors Federation (IDF) to The Unity of Faiths Foundation (TUFF.earth).

A culture that celebrates individuality is one that I’ve personally found empowering to be part of, and one that really encourages us to think in the most emphatic way about the team and their needs. Speaking personally, I’ve been able to bring up three wonderful children whilst balancing working life because of it – and to be able to do the job that I love at the same time as raising my kids is something I feel lucky to have been able to do.

At the same time, I genuinely believe that having a diverse team enables us to give the best possible experience to our patients. As a women, for example, I can approach a conversation with a patient about family planning, pregnancy or even menopause not just from a position of medical knowledge, but from experience too, and I hope that helps my patients feel not just listened to, but really heard.

This International Women’s Day, we are being asked to #embraceequity – to strive towards creating a world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination where, in the words of IWD’s organisers, “difference is valued and celebrated”. It’s a theme that resonates with me – as really – equity is all about recognising people’s different circumstances and experiences and taking steps to provide a truly level playing field for everyone. In the healthcare industry that really is more important than ever.

So to mark this year’s International Women’s Day, I’d like to take the opportunity to thank the individuals who I work with day in and out who embrace equity day in and out. You really do help make us the best we can possibly be.

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All our team of complementary practitioners have been busy as we all get back to our regular routines and in 2023 and we are looking forward to expanding the services that we are able to offer to our patients both inhouse and through exclusive partnerships with world class service providers.

At the end of 2022 the practice underwent it’s first CQC inspection since moving to 101 Harley Street and we are happy to report that we received a ‘Good’ ranking and we will continue our quest in achieving the highest levels of performance across all parts of the practice.

We were incredibly proud when Dr Sophia Khalique was shortlisted as the only GP in the Doctify ‘Patient Voice’ awards in the Healthcare Professional (Medical) category.

Doctify is an incredible platform that allows patients to leave reviews based on their experiences and this then provides a resource for the public looking for different medical services.

The awards looked at providers that have taken significant steps in listening to patient feedback and using it to improve care and patient experience.

If you would like to leave a review then please let the team know so we can point you in the right direction.

We held the second of our educational breakfast meetings in January with Dr Afrosa Ahmed presenting an interesting and practical talk on Mindfulness. We will continue to host these educational breakfast meetings throughout the year and if you are interested in being added to our mailing list where we send out notifications on upcoming events, please contact the practice.

Our last piece of news is that the Dr Sophia Khalique Medical Practice Marylebone are now corporate sponsors of the Independent doctors Federation (IDF) and will be sponsoring a number of events in the coming months.

We are now almost at the end of the second month of 2023 and the practice and team have already achieved so much and we have no plans to slow down.

If you would like to book an appointment with one of our doctors or complementary practitioners please contact the practice.

We hope you have all started 2023 in the same positive manner that we have.

The Team at Dr Sophia Khalique Medical Practice Marylebone

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I just wanted to write a final few lines for 2022 to thank you for all your support in this first year of the new practice in our rooms at 101 Harley Street. It has to date been the best professional year of my career. We have been fortunate enough to have the support of patients like yourselves, new and old. None of this could have been achieved without the super team and my super colleagues Dr Simmy Kaur and Dr Claire Bassilious.

Some of you might be aware that we will be joined by the experienced and excellent GP Dr Jack Edmonds from January. He will be part of the team and will bring with him his patients from the last 36 years of his career in Harley Street.

We have become corporate members of the Independent Doctors Federation (IDF) and hope to be sponsoring some of their BAME and LGBTQ+ events in 2023.

We have also become a small hub of education holding seminars in topical subjects such as Mindfulness and Long Covid. These have been attended by other specialist doctors in the neighbourhood as well as patients. If you would be interested in attending future seminars either in person or remotely then do let me know and will put your name on the list.

The achievement however I am most proud of is to be invited on behalf of all trustees of The Unity of Faiths Foundation (TUFF.earth) , to be the first ambassador for the TUFF ABC project. This is a project that has taken many years to develop and supports less privileged children and teenagers who are often at the brink of expulsion in state schools or in young offender units. It allows reintegration into society and is based on an education in human values. The TUFF ABC program will give the participants opportunities to gain a two year qualification. This enables them to become TUFF Boxing Coaches and Assistants who can themselves deliver future TUFF Boxing projects through London and beyond.

I recently watched a TED talk suggesting the way to achieve a happy, healthy life is through three things: fun and playfulness, connectivity with your friends and family, and flow which I take as mindful loss in whatever you enjoy. I’ll buy that for 2023!

Wishing you all happiness, healthiness and fun. Seasons Greetings!

Love,

Sophia

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