A medicine widely used for managing diabetes and supporting weight loss may have effects that extend beyond metabolism, according to a new study. Researchers found that semaglutide, a GLP-1 receptor-activating drug, slowed several indicators of ageing and increased lifespan in older female mice.
The research, published in Nature, explored whether semaglutide could reproduce some of the biological effects associated with calorie restriction without requiring prolonged severe dietary restriction. The findings showed that the drug triggered several changes resembling those linked to calorie restriction, along with some additional effects.
Researchers cautioned that the results cannot yet be applied to humans. The experiments were conducted on mice, and long-term clinical research will be required to determine whether semaglutide can influence ageing or lifespan in people.
The study involved 20-month-old female C57BL/6 mice. One group received semaglutide for the remainder of their lives, while another received a control treatment. A separate group was observed for three months to assess changes involving physical performance, metabolism and biological processes associated with ageing.
Semaglutide reduced food consumption by approximately 24% and led to a reduction in body weight, with most of the lost weight coming from body fat. The proportion of lean body mass increased among the treated mice.
The lifespan findings were particularly notable. Mice in the control group had a median lifespan of 742 days, compared with 834 days for those receiving semaglutide. Researchers concluded that the treatment appeared to delay several aspects of age-related physical decline.
The treated mice also performed better in a range of physical assessments. They displayed greater movement and exploratory activity and showed improved results in tests involving coordination, muscle performance and endurance. Their ability to regulate blood glucose also improved.
Researchers observed potential cognitive benefits as well. During maze-based testing, mice treated with semaglutide performed better on measures associated with spatial learning and memory. The researchers also detected higher levels of markers linked to the development of new neurons in the hippocampus, a brain region important for memory and learning.
Further analysis indicated that semaglutide influenced several biological processes connected with ageing. Treatment was associated with reduced age-related inflammation and cellular senescence, while measures involving mitochondrial function, oxidative stress and protein quality control also showed improvement.
The researchers additionally examined blood-forming stem cells. While the abundance of some stem-cell populations declined, there were indications that regenerative capacity had improved. The drug was also associated with increased markers of neural stem-cell activity and neurogenesis in the hippocampus.
The study compared semaglutide with calorie restriction, which has previously been associated with longer lifespan and slower ageing in various animal experiments. Both approaches reduced food intake, body weight and body fat, but they affected eating patterns differently.
Calorie-restricted mice tended to consume their available food quickly before experiencing longer periods without eating. In contrast, semaglutide-treated mice ate more gradually, consistent with the medicine's appetite-suppressing effect.
Semaglutide preserved several physical functions at levels comparable to calorie restriction. In certain areas, including glucose regulation and spatial memory, the drug also produced improvements beyond baseline measurements.
The findings add to research examining whether GLP-1 medicines could influence biological processes beyond weight management and diabetes treatment. Semaglutide appeared to affect pathways associated with metabolism, inflammation, cellular health and nutrient sensing.
However, the study does not establish semaglutide as an anti-ageing treatment for humans. The research was limited to older female mice from a single strain, and the researchers stressed that long-term human studies are necessary to establish whether GLP-1 receptor activation can alter ageing or lifespan in people.
For now, the results provide another potential direction for ageing research, particularly in understanding how medicines that influence appetite and metabolism may also affect biological ageing. Whether the effects observed in mice can be reproduced in humans remains uncertain.
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