Overview
- The Nature paper showed daily semaglutide given to 20-month-old female mice raised median lifespan from 742 to 834 days, an increase of about 12 percent.
- Treated mice ate roughly 24 percent less, but researchers found the drug improved spatial memory and blood-sugar control compared with a separate group that was fed the same reduced calories.
- The study reported lower inflammation, better stem-cell function and improved exercise and coordination in treated animals, indicating multiple cellular and physiological ageing hallmarks were blunted.
- Authors and outside experts warn the work is preclinical because it used only female mice, did not test males, and raises safety questions such as potential muscle loss that could worsen frailty in older people.
- Because regulators do not classify ageing as a disease, large human longevity trials are limited but small studies and tests of related drugs like tirzepatide are already under way to probe mechanisms and safety.