Is This The Fountain Of Youth? Weight Loss Drug Beloved By Celebrities May Slow Biological Aging, Scientists Say

Diet injections could be a ‘fountain of youth’ after research shows they address the underlying cause of a number of chronic diseases.

Groundbreaking studies presented at the world’s largest cardiology conference showed that Wegovy and Ozempic “deliver far-reaching benefits beyond what we initially thought.”

Doctors say there is growing evidence that the drugs – popular with celebrities – can slow biological ageing, helping people live “longer and better”.

A series of studies presented to 30,000 delegates yesterday showed that weekly jabs could prevent heart failure, reduce Covid-19 deaths, reverse kidney disease and lower previously untreatable high blood pressure.

Experts added that the “incredibly exciting” findings mean they are “no longer weight-loss drugs” but “disease-targeting drugs.”

Scientists are now also saying they are confident the drug works by reducing inflammation, which has been linked to cancer, diabetes, dementia and heart disease.

There is growing evidence to suggest that weight loss drugs such as Wegovy and Oxempic can slow biological aging, helping people live ‘longer and better’, doctors say

Wegovy and Ozempic work by stimulating the body to produce a hormone called GLP-1 which is naturally released from the gut after meals

According to Dr. Harlan Krumholz, professor of medicine at Yale University School of Medicine, they should now be viewed as a multi-functional medicine and “health promoter,” rather than just an aid to weight loss.

He added that the results suggest that the key ingredient in these drugs, semaglutide, can slow down the biological clock of cells and thus effectively reduce a person’s physical age.

Speaking at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in London, he said: ‘Is it a fountain of youth… I would say that if you substantially improve someone’s cardiometabolic health, you enable them to live longer and better.

‘I wouldn’t be surprised if improving people’s health in this way slows the aging process.’

In the largest presentation of global research into the impact of diet pills on heart health, results from 11 studies showed it acted like a ‘thermostat’ in reducing baseline inflammation.

University of Toronto professor Subodh Verma – lead author of one of the studies – said this is important because there are no existing anti-inflammatory drugs for heart failure.

“Semaglutide works independently of changes in body weight to reduce inflammation,” he added. “Even in people who lost 5, 10, 15 percent of their body weight, the degree of inflammation reduction was the same.”

John Deanfield, professor of cardiology at University College London, said it is time to stop viewing these drugs as “lifestyle drugs”.

Studies presented to 30,000 delegates show the weekly jabs can prevent heart failure, reduce Covid deaths, reverse kidney disease and lower once-untreatable high blood pressure.

He said: ‘Not only could you prevent or delay an individual disease by intervening early, but you could also change the outcome for a whole range of diseases of ageing that we all want to avoid. It’s incredibly exciting.’

Another study found that semaglutide led to a reduction in ‘treatment-resistant’ blood pressure, helping a third of patients who had failed previous medication.

There is even evidence it could help in future pandemics, after a study of 17,000 participants – which began before the coronavirus outbreak – found that people who took semaglutide were 34 percent less likely to die from Covid-19 infection compared to people who did not take the drug.

Study leader Dr Jeremy Samuel Faust of Harvard Medical School said the effect is “similar to a vaccine” and could apply to many other infections.

The jabs, which mimic the action of a hormone called GLP-1 to suppress appetite, have been popularised by a host of celebrities – from X-CEO Elon Musk to former Prime Minister Boris Johnson – for their weight loss potential.

Wegovy, which is currently prescribed by the NHS for obesity and type 2 diabetes, has been shown to reduce heart attacks and strokes by a fifth

Semaglutide is currently prescribed by the NHS for obesity and type 2 diabetes. It has already been proven to reduce deaths from heart attacks and strokes by a fifth.

Dr Krumholz said: ‘This raises the question of whether these drugs should be reserved for people with the most severe forms of obesity.’

And Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan, deputy medical director at the British Heart Foundation and a cardiologist, said the research was ’cause to celebrate’, adding: ‘Studies show that semaglutide not only leads to significant weight loss, but is also effective in saving and improving the lives of people with heart disease.

“This could be a game changer for patients with various heart conditions.”