Weight-loss drugs show signs of slowing biological aging, say drugmakers
Pharmaceutical companies Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly report that their GLP-1 weight-loss drugs may slow biological aging markers. Scientists are investigating whether these medications function as 'geroprotectors' that could extend healthspan.
Why it matters
If confirmed, this would represent a significant shift in the medical application of weight-loss drugs from obesity treatment to longevity science.
Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly found the popular medicines reduce molecular markers of age.
Popular weight-loss drugs may do more than help people shed pounds. They might also melt away the years.
Drug giants Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk say patients taking their drugs age less quickly, according to readouts from molecular “aging clocks.”
Such clocks assess a person’s biological age by looking at changes to DNA that accumulate with time, or, in newer versions, by tracking levels of key proteins.
Both companies found that overweight or diabetic patients taking the drugs, called GLP-1s, had reduced biological age compared to those taking a placebo, although the difference varied widely, depending on which type of clock was used, and what organ was tested.
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