A drug already transforming the treatment of obesity and diabetes may have another, unexpected effect: slowing some aspects of ageing.
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Researchers have found that semaglutide, the active ingredient in popular weight-loss medicines such as Ozempic and Wegovy, extended the lifespan of elderly female mice and improved several measures associated with healthy ageing.
In the study, published in Nature, mice treated with semaglutide lived significantly longer than those in the control group. Their median lifespan increased by about 12 percent, with treated animals living nearly 100 days longer. But living longer wasn’t the only difference.
The semaglutide-treated mice also performed better on measures of muscle function, cognitive performance and spatial memory, suggesting that the drug’s effects may extend beyond its well-known ability to reduce body weight and regulate blood sugar.
