Short answer
In mice, yes. A September 2026 Nature study from UC Berkeley found that old female mice kept on semaglutide lived about 100 days longer than untreated mice, with better muscle, memory and blood sugar. There is no human lifespan trial, and the researchers say the results can't be assumed to apply to people.
What the study did
Researchers at UC Berkeley, publishing in Nature on 2 September 2026, gave semaglutide, the active drug in Ozempic and Wegovy, to 20-month-old female mice. After three months, treated mice had better physical function and fewer molecular hallmarks of aging.
What they found
Mice kept on the drug for the rest of their lives lived about 100 days longer than untreated mice, according to the university. When the team compared semaglutide with a 24% calorie cut, the drug matched many of its benefits and did better on exploration, spatial memory and blood sugar control. The authors describe it as a calorie restriction mimetic.
What it doesn't mean
These were female mice from one lab. There is no human trial of semaglutide for lifespan, and the researchers say the results can't be assumed to apply to people. Semaglutide is FDA-approved for type 2 diabetes, weight management and heart risk reduction in certain adults, not for aging.
Our Signal Score for semaglutide as an anti-aging drug: 1 out of 5.
Decoded / the concept
Calorie restriction mimetic
A drug that copies some effects of eating less, without eating less.
Cutting calories slows aging in many lab animals. A mimetic tries to switch on the same pathways. In this study semaglutide did that in mice.
What you can do
- Read past the headline: species, sex, sample, one lab or many.
- Don't start or change a prescription for aging.
- Send the honest version to the friend who shares the headline.
Common questions
Does semaglutide slow aging in humans?
Nobody knows yet. The September 2026 Nature study was in female mice, and there is no human trial of semaglutide for lifespan.
How much longer did the mice live?
Mice treated from 20 months of age for the rest of their lives lived about 100 days longer than untreated mice, according to UC Berkeley.
Published 2026-09-30 · Last reviewed 2026-09-30
Educational content, not medical advice. Talk to your clinician before changing anything about your health.
