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The popular diabetes drug Ozempic, which has made waves for its weight loss effects, is turning out to be even more powerful than previously thought. A new scientific study suggests that it may slow down — and even reverse — the aging process.
Ozempic and its "sister" drug, Wegovy, contain the active ingredient semaglutide, which belongs to the group of GLP-1 drugs, originally designed to treat type 2 diabetes. But over time, these drugs gained fame for their ability to drastically reduce body weight.
Now, scientists believe that the benefits of semaglutide may go far beyond just weight loss – offering a possible way to turn back the biological clock, as New Scientist and previously the BBC reported.
For years, researchers have suggested that semaglutide may slow cellular aging, based on animal experiments and observations in humans. But now, a clinical trial has provided direct results of this effect for the first time.
Researcher Varun Dwaraka of the Kentucky-based diagnostics company TruDiagnostics calls the discovery a turning point in the debate over these drugs. The study involved 108 people with HIV-associated lipohypertrophy, a condition that causes fat accumulation and accelerates cell aging.
Half of the participants received a weekly dose of Ozempic for 32 weeks, while the other half received a placebo. Through analysis of blood samples before and after the study, the participants' biological age was measured using epigenetic clocks - a method that analyzes chemical marks in DNA to indicate how quickly the body is aging.
The results were shocking. Dwaraka stated:
“Those who took semaglutide became an average of 3.1 years younger biologically by the end of the study.”
The placebo group showed no significant change. Furthermore, semaglutide was found to slow the aging process in several organs and systems, particularly in the inflammatory system and the brain, where a delay of up to five years of biological aging was observed.
According to Dwaraka, these effects come from semaglutide’s ability to improve fat distribution and metabolic health. Excess fat around organs releases molecules that accelerate aging and damage DNA.
By reducing this fat and mitigating chronic inflammation, Ozempic creates a “younger” biological environment.
Although this study focused on people with HIV-associated lipohypertrophy, Dwaraka points out that most of the biological pathways affected by semaglutide are not limited to this condition, adding:
“Therefore, it is possible that similar effects on epigenetic aging will be observed in other populations.”
Randy Seeley of the University of Michigan Medical School wasn't surprised by the findings. He believes the benefits come from the drug reducing cellular stress and inflammation, two key factors in the aging process:
"Both are major drivers of aging in many cell types," he says.
However, experts caution against rushing to use Ozempic as a mere anti-aging cure.
“It’s premature to use it as a general anti-aging therapy,” warns Dwaraka.
But with growing interest in repurposing existing drugs in the fight against aging, semaglutide could soon be at the center of this global race to slow aging itself.
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