By Alex Janin
For decades, scientists have been on the hunt for an antiaging drug. Now, some say we may have already found it.
A fast-growing body of research signals potential health benefits of GLP-1s, the class of diabetes and weight-loss drugs known by names like Ozempic, beyond what they were initially approved to treat. That includes age-related conditions like Alzheimer’s, osteoarthritis, certain cancers and even mortality.
Doctors and researchers emphasize the need for larger, more rigorous long-term studies to confirm these preventive effects are causal, not just correlational.
Still, since Ozempic was approved in 2017, thousands of studies have been published examining the effects of GLP-1s. Last year, Wegovy won a new Food and Drug Administration approval to reduce the risk of heart attacks and other cardiovascular events, and Ozempic, was recently approved to help kidney disease patients.
This accumulating body of research has led longevity clinics to market and prescribe GLP-1s as so-called gerotherapeutics—drugs that can target certain biological hallmarks of aging.
Dr. Nir Barzilai, a physician-scientist who is president of the Academy for Health and Lifespan Research, reviewed a dozen FDA-approved drugs and drug classes with potential benefits to extend lifespan and so-called healthspan, or how long people live in good health. GLP-1s ranked in the top third.
Excess weight can trigger chronic low-grade inflammation, which has been linked to increased risk for a host of conditions from heart disease to dementia. “Obesity drives aging,” says Barzilai.
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