A UC Berkeley team led by Danica Chen gave semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, to 20-month-old female mice for three months. The treated mice went on to live a median of nearly 100 days longer than untreated controls, alongside improved memory, muscle function and blood sugar control.
The study, funded by the NIH and published in Nature, directly compared the drug to calorie restriction, a well-established way to slow aging in animals. Semaglutide matched or beat calorie restriction on several measures, including spatial memory and exploratory behavior, while — unlike calorie-restricted mice — the treated animals kept a stable metabolic rate. The drug also reduced inflammation and improved markers of tissue repair.
Researchers caution the results come from mice, not people, and that human trials are needed before any anti-aging claims can be made about the drug. Still, the finding adds to growing scientific interest in GLP-1 drugs as more than just diabetes and weight-loss treatments.