*Ozempic and other popular weight loss drugs may do more than help people shed pounds. Early research from their makers suggests the medications could slow biological aging by a few years, according to Gizmodo.
Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly shared their findings at the 13th annual Aging Research & Drug Discovery (ARDD) conference. Each company compared its own GLP-1 medication with a placebo using aging clocks, which track biological changes linked to getting older.
Novo’s team reviewed past clinical trial data for semaglutide, sold as Ozempic and Wegovy. Across most clocks, the typical user came out two to three years biologically younger than the placebo group. The biggest difference, about four years, came from a clock that tracks heart-related proteins. The size of the effect varied by clock and by organ.
Lilly ran the same kind of analysis on tirzepatide, sold as Mounjaro and Zepbound, which pairs GLP-1 with a second gut hormone, GIP. Researchers checked epigenetic clocks, which read chemical tags on DNA that switch genes on and off. Tirzepatide users also tested biologically younger than those who got a placebo.
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Kevin Duffin, Lilly’s vice president for aging research, sounded upbeat at the conference, according to MIT Technology Review. “All the clocks are telling a consistent story that we’re seeing a reduction in age,” he reportedly said.
Still, the findings come with big asterisks. Neither study has gone through peer review, and both came from the drugmakers’ own scientists rather than outside researchers. It’s also unclear whether better clock scores translate into better health. The studies included only people with obesity or type 2 diabetes, leaving open whether anyone else would benefit.
There are reasons for optimism. The drugs are already known to cut the odds of heart disease and other illnesses that tend to come with age. Animal studies have also suggested they could lengthen life, perhaps even beyond what calorie restriction achieves.
A federally funded trial will put GLP-1s and other drugs to the test in adults over 60, measuring whether they add healthy years.
Even Duffin is keeping expectations in check. “It’s not like we’re going to reverse age by 30 years or something, but it’s a significant reduction,” he added.
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