Semaglutide treatment in elderly mice boosts lifespan by 12 percent
A study published in Nature gave semaglutide to 20-month-old female mice, roughly equivalent to a woman in her 60s, and found their median lifespan increased from 742 to 834 days. The drug also outperformed calorie restriction in preserving memory and regulating blood sugar. Researchers suggest GLP-1 medications may offer anti-aging benefits beyond weight loss.
The study's senior author, Danica Chen of UC Berkeley, has spent two decades investigating calorie restriction and hypothesized semaglutide might replicate its effects through appetite suppression rather than willpower. The drug's benefits extended beyond longevity: treated mice showed better balance on rotating rods, greater treadmill endurance, faster maze navigation, and reduced tissue inflammation compared to untreated peers.
In a separate five-month comparison, semaglutide matched a 24 percent calorie-restricted diet on muscle strength and coordination measures. Liver gene activity analysis revealed significant overlap between both interventions, with each quieting inflammation and fat-processing pathways while activating genes related to blood sugar handling. Semaglutide is already approved for diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular risk, kidney decline, and fatty liver disease.
If these findings translate to humans, GLP-1 medications could reshape how aging itself is approached clinically, potentially delaying multiple age-related conditions simultaneously rather than treating them individually. Older adults, particularly women, may gain access to a longevity intervention that avoids the difficulty of sustained calorie restriction. However, the leap from mice to humans remains substantial, and widespread use would carry cost and accessibility implications for healthcare systems.