Ozempic has been called a wonder drug for the wide range of ailments it seems able to treat. Now, researchers have found solid evidence it could even slow aging.
Originally designed to treat Type 2 diabetes, Ozempic is the brand name for a molecule called semaglutide. It’s part of a family of drugs known as GLP-1 agonists that also includes Wegovy and Mounjaro. These drugs work by mimicking the natural hormone GLP-1.
GLP-1 has a variety of roles including the regulation of blood sugar by promoting insulin production and inhibiting the release of a hormone called glucagon that increases blood sugar levels. It also helps slows down stomach emptying, which can make you feel full for longer, and activates neurons in the brain that make you feel satiated.
The latter effects are why these drugs are emerging as powerful weight-loss tools. However, there’s growing evidence Ozempic’s potential goes further, with studies showing it could help treat cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s, and even substance abuse.
Most tantalizing, however, is the possibility it could act as a broad anti-aging medication. Now, a clinical trial has found the strongest evidence yet that this could be viable. Researchers administered Ozempic to people with a condition that causes accelerated aging. After a 32-week course, those who received the drug were biologically younger by as much as 3.1 years, on average, according to a preprint paper.
“Semaglutide may not only slow the rate of aging, but in some individuals partially reverse it,” Varun Dwaraka, director of research at diagnostics company TruDiagnostic who worked on the trial, told New Scientist.
There was already tentative evidence that GLP-1 drugs could provide broad protection against many of the diseases associated with aging. Last summer, results from a trial on 17,604 overweight people with cardiovascular disease showed that those given Ozempic were less likely to die from any condition rather than just heart disease.
But this latest trial was more directly focused on establishing the anti-aging potential of the drug. It involved 108 patients with HIV-associated lipohypertrophy, which causes abnormal fat accumulation and has been associated with accelerated cellular aging. Half of the participants were given a weekly shot of Ozempic for 32 weeks, while the other half received a placebo.
The researchers then measured each participant’s biological age at the start and end of the trial using an “epigenetic clock.” These tools measure chemical changes to our DNA that build up as we age and alter how different genes are expressed.
On average, the team found that those who had been given Ozempic had epigenetic profiles 3.1 years younger than those who had not received the medication. But interestingly, the impact was not spread evenly across the body. The team found the biggest anti-aging effects in the inflammatory system and brain, where the clock had been dialed back by almost five years.
Dwaraka told New Scientist that the effect probably comes from semaglutide’s anti-inflammatory properties and the reduction of fat—the accumulation of which can cause the release of molecules that accelerate aging—around key organs.
But it’s important to note that there are considerable question marks around how reliably epigenetic clocks measure biological age, with significant discrepancies across different tissue types.
Nonetheless, the study adds to the growing pile of evidence that these GLP-1 drugs provide broad health benefits and could potentially help all kinds of people live longer and healthier lives.
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