Can GLP-1 drugs help slow aging?

Preliminary research shows that GLP-1 drugs used for weight loss and diabetes treatment may slow aging, after they have been proven to help control sugar levels and reduce the risk of heart, kidney and liver disease, as well as reduce sleep apnea and inflammation. Dr. Danica Chen, a professor specializing in aging at the University of California, Berkeley, said that targeting aging itself may help treat many diseases related to it.

But research on humans and mice is still in its early stages, and scientists do not yet know whether these benefits extend to healthy people of normal weight. Therefore, experts warn against using these medications simply to prolong life.

Dr. James Kirkland, director of the Center for Advanced Therapies for Aging at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, said that some people take these medications even though they do not have diabetes or obesity, knowing that their long-term effects on this group are still unclear. He added: "What worries me is that people will over-interpret some of these results."

Kirkland pointed out that the indicators used to measure biological aging, including epigenetic changes and proteins produced by the body, are still under development, and do not provide accurate information about individuals, as they may change in the same person from one day to another. Measuring biological clocks Preliminary results suggest that GLP-1 drugs may slow biological aging.

Dr. Kevin Duffin, Vice President of Aging Research at Eli Lilly, pointed out that indicators show a decrease in biological age by about three to six years, stressing that the effect is noticeable but does not represent a magic cure. Dauphine was based on data from a clinical trial that included more than 700 overweight, non-diabetic people who took tirzepatide or semaglutide for 72 weeks.

The geriatric analysis focused on 71 participants over the age of 50 who took tirzepatide. The researchers measured changes in turning genes on and off to evaluate what are known as epigenetic clocks, which estimate the biological age of organs and tissues.

While the participants' chronological age was expected to advance by 1.38 years during the study, indicators showed that biological aging slowed, and some even regressed, suggesting that tissues and organs appeared younger. But the study did not include a comparison group that did not take weight-loss medications, and the follow-up period was short.

However, the effects appeared to be stronger over time, leading the researchers to call for following the participants for a longer period. It is still unclear whether this slowdown is due to weight loss or an independent effect of the medications.

Studies also indicate that reducing calories by about 25% and weight-loss surgeries may slow biological aging, but achieving this by relying on willpower alone is difficult. When asked whether these effects would appear in people who are not overweight, Dauphine said that the question is constantly asked, adding that most of the observed effects are due to lowering blood sugar levels and weight loss.

Benefits beyond weight loss Novo Nordisk research has shown that semaglutide, sold under the names Wegovi and Ozambic, may help slow aging. By measuring changes in the body's proteins, the researchers found that the drug reduced the biological age of the heart by two to four years, and of other organs, including the lungs, kidneys, brain, and pancreas, by one to four years, compared to a placebo.

The results were published in preliminary research that has not yet been peer-reviewed, and the researchers noted that weight loss, sugar control, and reduced inflammation do not fully explain the effects. Dr. Alejandro Aguayo Orozco, who is responsible for the company's research and development of cardio-metabolic therapies, wondered whether the benefits of GLP-1 drugs extend beyond treating individual diseases, to include aging and extending a healthy lifespan.

To investigate, scientists at the University of California at Berkeley gave 20-month-old mice, the equivalent of about 60 years in humans, semaglutide or a placebo for the rest of their lives. The mice that received the drug lived an average of 834 days, compared to 742 days in the control group, and also ate less food and lost weight.

The researchers then compared these results to a group that reduced their calories by 25%. The mice in this group also lived longer, but the mice that received semaglutide outperformed them on tests of reasoning, exiting a maze, and blood sugar control, while the performance of the two groups was similar in muscle function and movement.

Danica Chen, a professor at the university and co-leader of the study published in the journal Nature, said: These results indicate that the drug has benefits beyond calorie restriction alone.