New research has suggested that GLP-1 drugs could do more than treat obesity and type 2 diabetes, with the animal-based study indicating they could have the potential to extend life span. Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, found that treating female mice with semaglutide, a GLP-1 receptor agonist, prolonged their life span, partly by tempering the harmful impacts of aging. The study was published in Nature on September 2.
The findings could "potentially broaden the application of GLP-1 medicines to healthy aging individuals to slow aging and extend life span," Danica Chen, study author and a professor of metabolic biology, nutritional sciences and toxicology at University of California at Berkeley, told Newsweek. GLP-1s, commonly known as the weight loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy, work by quietening what some researchers call "food noise," essentially persistent thoughts about eating, while also mimicking a hormone that promotes fullness and slows digestion. This means that the drugs reduce appetite and balance blood sugar levels, and they have become increasingly popular for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity.
One in eight Americans were using them as of March 2026, according to data from Statista. Their rise has also coincided with a decline in U.S. obesity rates, though experts caution multiple factors are at play. The researchers treated 20-month-old female mice daily with semaglutide via injection and found that the mice saw their life span (of 742 days based on the median life span of the control group) increase to 834 days.
The mice treated with semaglutide also saw a 24 percent reduction in appetite, reduced body weight and tissue weight, and Chen said that the GLP-1 treatment also "improved physiological function, attenuated hallmarks of aging, and modulated nutrient sensors and conserved genetic regulators of aging." While being notable, independent experts have said that the results are not entirely surprising. Richard DiMarchi, a professor of chemistry at Indiana University, who was not involved in the study, told Newsweek that the finding "aligns with expectations," although he added that "at a time of unprecedented interest in peptide therapeutics, many based on yet to be validated clinical observations it is best to temper our enthusiasm." "Translation to humans is much more complex given the inbred nature of mice, and safety remains the sine qua non for broad use, especially for promoting longevity in otherwise healthy individuals," he said. Randy Seeley, a professor at the University of Michigan and a previous consultant for both drug manufacturers Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, who was not involved in the study told Newsweek, "we have a good amount of data from various trials that these drugs reduce all-cause mortality and therefore can extend life span." Chen said that the semaglutide treatment may have extended the mice's life span "in part by reducing calorie intake," but added that there are likely other factors beyond reduced calorie intake that "require further study." Seeley said that another factor could be the potential impact these drugs have on cardiovascular health.
"There was initial concern that these drugs might increase risk of cardiovascular events since they increase heart rate," he said. "However, the reduced cardiovascular risk has been repeated with several different GLP-1 agonists and in different patient populations." "There are benefits that appear to be not dependent on just weight loss," Seeley said. He also said that there is some research that points to GLP-1s having "'anti-inflammatory' effects," but that how they might reduce inflammation "is not at all clear." "Does it act directly on immune cells?
Is it about shifting metabolic fuel utilization? Does it do this by acting in the brain to alter brain regulation of immune function? As a field, we are still trying to figure that out," he said.
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