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Getting the latest healthcare news for you
A new Nature study found that late-life semaglutide treatment extended median lifespan and reversed multiple signs of aging in older female mice. The drug mimicked many effects of calorie restriction — but also delivered extra benefits in memory, movement, and blood sugar control. Whether these findings translate to humans still needs long-term clinical research.
A study published in Nature by UC Berkeley researchers found that semaglutide — the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy — extended lifespan and reversed multiple hallmarks of aging when given to 20-month-old female mice (roughly equivalent to older adults). The drug reduced food intake by 24% and cut fat mass, but its benefits went well beyond the scale.
Treated mice showed improved movement, motor coordination, muscle function, spatial memory, and blood sugar control. At the cellular level, semaglutide reduced inflammation, cellular senescence, and mitochondrial dysfunction, while boosting stem cell regeneration and neurogenesis in the hippocampus — all key markers of biological aging.
By the Numbers:
Why it matters: These findings position semaglutide as a potential calorie-restriction mimetic — one that's already approved and widely used in humans. While the results are in mice and human translation requires long-term clinical trials, they open a compelling new chapter in longevity medicine and raise important questions about the broader role of GLP-1 drugs.
