Ozempic really could turn back the clock on your biological age
When people were randomised to receive either a placebo or Ozempic, they became biologically younger with the latter drug
By Helen Thomson
1 August 2025
Evidence for Ozempic’s broad health benefits is mounting
David J. Phillip / Associated Press / Alamy Stock Photo
The type 2 diabetes drug Ozempic has been linked to slower rates of ageing, and now we have good-quality evidence that this really does occur.
GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy, both of which contain the medication semaglutide, have gained huge prominence for their effects on obesity, but are also being explored for conditions such as cardiovascular disease, addiction and dementia.
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Why do Ozempic and Wegovy seem to treat everything?
Scientists have previously suggested that they might delay biological ageing – the rate at which cells age – largely based on animal studies and observational human data. Now, we have the first clinical trial results providing direct evidence of that, says Varun Dwaraka at diagnostics company TruDiagnostic in Lexington, Kentucky.
One way to assess a drug’s effect on biological ageing is through epigenetic clocks. These identify patterns of DNA methylation, the chemical tags added or removed from DNA that affect gene activity. These patterns shift with age and can be sped up or down by lifestyle choices, such as our diet, meaning our biological age can be younger or older than our chronological age.
Dwaraka and his colleagues studied the epigenetic clocks of 108 people with HIV-associated lipohypertrophy, a condition that causes excess fat and accelerated cellular ageing. In a randomised-controlled trial, half were given Ozempic once a week for 32 weeks and the other half a placebo.
