A 32-week randomized, placebo-controlled trial found that semaglutide — the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy — slowed multiple markers of biological aging in adults with HIV-associated lipohypertrophy, the first such evidence from a controlled human trial rather than observational data.
Researchers led by Michael Corley at UC San Diego, working with Weill Cornell Medicine, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, and the Medical University of South Carolina, split 84 participants between weekly semaglutide injections (45) and placebo (39). Using epigenetic clocks that read DNA methylation patterns, the semaglutide group showed a roughly 9% slower pace of aging on the DunedinPACE clock, plus significant deceleration on six other clocks — including a 4.9-year drop in PhenoAge and a 3.1-year drop in PCGrimAge. Eleven organ-system clocks moved in the same direction, with the strongest effects in inflammation, brain, and heart markers.
Corley was careful to temper the result: "We are not saying that semaglutide reverses aging or makes people younger." The effect likely runs through reduced inflammation and lower visceral fat rather than any direct anti-aging mechanism, and much larger trials in the general population are needed before the finding could support any clinical claim.