Semaglutide extends lifespan and improves health markers in older mice
A NIH-funded study found that semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, lengthened the lives of aged, healthy mice and enhanced memory, muscle function and metabolic health.
In a study supported by the NIH, semaglutide—used in the GLP-1 drugs Ozempic and Wegovy—was given to older, healthy female mice for three months, resulting in notable gains in muscle strength, cognition and reduced inflammatory markers. Gene-expression profiling indicated enhanced tissue-repair capacity. A separate cohort treated until death showed a median lifespan extension of almost 100 days versus untreated mice.
To determine whether these effects were simply due to lower calorie consumption, the team compared the drug to a 24% calorie-restricted diet; while many outcomes overlapped, semaglutide uniquely improved exploratory behavior, spatial memory and maintained metabolic rate. Senior investigator Rafael de Cabo noted that slowing fundamental aging processes could explain the broad clinical benefits seen with GLP-1 agonists. The authors caution that human implications remain untested, though future trials in older adults are proposed. NIH’s National Institute on Aging funded the research through multiple grants.
