Semaglutide Slowed Biological Aging 9% in 108 HIV Patients, Study Finds
Updated
Updated · SciTechDaily · Jun 3
Semaglutide Slowed Biological Aging 9% in 108 HIV Patients, Study Finds
3 articles · Updated · SciTechDaily · Jun 3
Summary
A 32-week randomized, placebo-controlled trial found semaglutide slowed the pace of biological aging by 9% in 108 adults with HIV-associated lipohypertrophy, based on the DunedinPACE DNA-methylation clock.
Nature Communications published the study, which also showed lower age-related disease and all-cause mortality risk on the PCGrimAge clock and slower aging signals across heart, brain, kidney, liver, blood and metabolic systems.
Researchers said semaglutide may work by reducing inflammation, chronic immune activation, and visceral fat—processes tied to accelerated aging in people living with HIV even when the virus is controlled.
A separate 24-week pilot study in HIV patients with fatty liver disease found aging slowed in 42% of participants, mortality-linked markers improved in 34%, and telomere length increased in nearly 49%.
The findings add to evidence that GLP-1 drugs may affect aging biology beyond weight loss, though larger trials are still needed to confirm durability, dosing and relevance outside HIV.
If a popular weight-loss drug can slow aging, who decides who gets to live younger for longer?
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Semaglutide Slows Biological Aging by Up to 4.9 Years Per Year: Breakthrough Human Trial Results and the Future of GLP-1s in Longevity
Overview
In 2025-2026, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial provided the first human evidence that semaglutide may slow and partially reverse biological aging. The study involved 108 adults with HIV-associated lipohypertrophy who were overweight or obese, with 84 participants providing paired blood samples for analysis. Over 32 weeks, participants received weekly semaglutide injections. Researchers used advanced DNA methylation-based epigenetic clocks to measure biological aging and found that semaglutide slowed aging rates and improved multiple organ systems. These promising results suggest semaglutide’s benefits may extend beyond weight loss, though further research is needed for broader populations.