Weight-loss drug may also slow ageing – Study

A drug already transforming the treatment of obesity and diabetes may have another, unexpected effect: slowing some aspects of ageing.

Researchers have found that semaglutide, the active ingredient in popular weight-loss medicines such as Ozempic and Wegovy, extended the lifespan of elderly female mice and improved several measures associated with healthy ageing.

In the study, published in Nature, mice treated with semaglutide lived significantly longer than those in the control group. Their median lifespan increased by about 12 percent, with treated animals living nearly 100 days longer. But living longer wasn’t the only difference.

The semaglutide-treated mice also performed better on measures of muscle function, cognitive performance and spatial memory, suggesting that the drug’s effects may extend beyond its well-known ability to reduce body weight and regulate blood sugar.

The findings have caught the attention of ageing researchers because they raise a bigger question: could drugs originally developed to treat metabolic disease also influence the biological processes that drive ageing?

Semaglutide belongs to a class of medicines known as GLP-1 receptor agonists. These drugs mimic the action of a naturally occurring hormone involved in appetite, blood sugar regulation and metabolism.

Their rapid rise in the treatment of obesity has already transformed the conversation around weight management. Now, the new findings suggest there may be more to their biological effects.

Researchers are particularly interested in the possibility that semaglutide could influence inflammation and other pathways associated with age-related decline. Chronic inflammation is closely linked to a range of conditions that become more common with ageing. If semaglutide can influence such processes, it could help explain why the treated mice showed improvements not only in lifespan but also in measures of physical and cognitive function.

But there is a major reason for caution. The study does not establish that semaglutide can extend human lifespan, nor does it show that people taking Ozempic or Wegovy will live longer or age more slowly.

Animal studies can reveal biological mechanisms that may eventually prove important in humans, but promising results in mice often require years of additional research before they translate into clinical treatment.

For now, therefore, the findings shouldn’t be interpreted as evidence that people should take semaglutide as an anti-ageing drug. What they do provide is another intriguing clue about the relationship between metabolism, inflammation and ageing.

Scientists have spent years searching for ways to extend not merely lifespan but healthspan, the period of life people spend in relatively good physical and cognitive health. The new study adds semaglutide to that conversation.

A medicine already being used on a large scale for diabetes and obesity may also offer researchers a new window into the ageing process. Whether that translates into longer, healthier lives for humans remains to be seen. For now, the strongest evidence is in mice, and that distinction matters.