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Weight-loss drug slows ageing in female mice

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In one inbred strain of laboratory mice, late-life treatment with a GLP-1 drug extends lifespan. This effect might be more than just a consequence of calorie restriction.

By

  1. Maria Emilia Fernandez

    1. Maria Emilia Fernandez is in the Experimental Gerontology Section and Translational Gerontology Branch, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21224, USA.

  2. Rafael de Cabo

    1. Rafael de Cabo are in the Experimental Gerontology Section and Translational Gerontology Branch, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21224, USA.

Medications that mimic the hormone GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) have been transformative in the treatment of conditions such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. Writing in Nature, Feng et al.1 report that treating female mice with the weight-loss drug semaglutide — a GLP-1 receptor activator, or agonist — late in life improves their physiological function, slows the progression of several hallmarks of ageing and extends their lifespan.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-02468-7

References

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Competing Interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

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