Semaglutide: From Weight Loss and Diabetes to Anti-Ageing?
Semaglutide, a GLP-1 receptor agonist widely known for weight loss and diabetes treatment, may have another surprising potential benefit: slowing some effects of ageing. A new study published in the journal Nature found that the drug improved several measures of physical health and extended lifespan in older female mice.
The findings are important because researchers have been looking for ways to reproduce some of the benefits linked with calorie restriction without requiring people to maintain a severely restricted diet for long periods.
How Was the Study Conducted?
Researchers treated 20-month-old female C57BL/6 mice with semaglutide. One group received the drug for the rest of their lives, while another group received control treatment. A separate group was studied for three months to understand changes in physical function, metabolism and ageing-related processes.
- Semaglutide reduced food intake by about 24%;
- Mice receiving the drug lost body weight, with much of the loss coming from body fat, while the proportion of lean mass increased;
- The median lifespan was 742 days in the control group compared with 834 days among mice treated with semaglutide.
Better Physical and Cognitive Function
Beyond lifespan, the study tested how the ageing mice performed physically and mentally:
- Semaglutide-treated mice showed greater movement and exploratory behaviour;
- They performed better in tests measuring coordination, muscle function and endurance;
- They also showed better glucose control;
- In a maze test, they performed better on measures linked with spatial memory and learning;
- There was an increase in markers associated with the formation of new neurones in the hippocampus, a brain region involved in learning and memory.
Effects on Ageing-Related Biological Processes
The researchers examined several biological features commonly associated with ageing and found that semaglutide was linked with:
- Lower levels of ageing-related inflammation and cellular senescence;
- Improved measures related to mitochondrial function, oxidative stress and protein quality control;
- Signs suggesting improved regenerative capacity of blood-forming stem cells;
- Increased markers of neural stem cell activity and neurogenesis in the hippocampus.
How Does It Compare with Calorie Restriction?
Calorie restriction has previously been linked with slower ageing and longer lifespan in several animal studies. Researchers therefore directly compared semaglutide with calorie restriction in older mice:
- Both approaches produced similar reductions in food intake, body weight and body fat;
- However, the way they worked was different: calorie-restricted mice consumed their food quickly and then went through a longer period without eating, while mice receiving semaglutide ate more gradually, consistent with the appetite-suppressing effect of the drug;
- In some areas, including spatial memory and glucose control, semaglutide produced improvements beyond baseline measurements.
What This Means for Humans
The findings add to growing research into the effects of GLP-1 medicines beyond weight management and diabetes. The researchers found that semaglutide influenced several biological pathways associated with ageing, including pathways involving metabolism, inflammation, cellular health and nutrient sensing.
Still, the findings should not be interpreted as proof that semaglutide is an anti-ageing drug for humans. The study involved older female mice of one strain, and the researchers themselves said that long-term human studies are needed to determine whether GLP-1 receptor activation can change ageing or lifespan in people.
For now, the study offers a new area of research into how medicines that alter appetite and metabolism may also affect the biology of ageing. Whether those effects can translate from mice to humans remains an open question.
Everyday Health Tracking Tips
Regardless of how drug research progresses, paying attention to your own metabolic and ageing-related indicators is always the foundation of health management. You can use the Xiaoshu Health App to sync Apple Health data and track key metrics such as weight, blood sugar, sleep and activity levels, helping you understand your body changes more scientifically.