Popular weight-loss drug shows anti-aging effects

The findings suggest the medicine may reproduce some of the effects of calorie restriction, although researchers stress that whether it can influence human aging remains unknown.

Researchers led by scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, gave semaglutide to 20-month-old female mice, an age representing late life. In the lifespan experiment, 40 mice received the drug while 39 control mice received saline, with treatment continuing for the rest of their lives.

The difference in survival was substantial. Median lifespan rose from 742 days in the control group to 834 days among mice treated with semaglutide. The drug reduced food intake by 24%, while weight loss came mainly from body fat rather than other tissues.

Moreover, after 3 months of treatment, older mice performed better in tests of movement, coordination, muscle endurance and memory. They also showed better glucose control. Researchers found improvements in several biological features associated with aging, including inflammation, cellular aging, DNA stability, mitochondrial function and the body's ability to maintain healthy proteins.

The team also directly compared semaglutide with a 24% calorie-restricted diet. Both approaches produced similar weight and fat loss and helped preserve several physical functions that normally decline with age. However, semaglutide produced greater improvements in exploratory behavior, spatial memory and glucose control, suggesting that some of its effects may not be explained simply by eating fewer calories.

Calorie restriction has long been known to slow aging and extend lifespan in laboratory animals, but maintaining such a diet can be difficult. The researchers argue that semaglutide may act as a "calorie restriction mimetic," triggering some of the same biological pathways while reducing appetite.

However, the study was conducted only in female mice, which were chosen partly to avoid complications from aggression and injury seen in male mice. The researchers said no adverse effects attributable to semaglutide were observed within the measures studied, but emphasized that long-term clinical trials in older people would be needed to determine whether the drug can slow aging or extend lifespan in humans.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that coffee compounds might help protect against aging.