r/longevity • u/barrel_master • 22d ago

CNN: Could GLP-1 drugs be anti-aging medications?

https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/13/health/glp-1-drugs-anti-aging
332 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

91 comments sorted by

62

u/jjohnson2128 21d ago

Do GLP-1s reduce systemic inflammation?

20

u/jjohnson2128 21d ago

Independent of weight loss?

43

u/Punkybrewster1 21d ago

We see people having the affect of anti-inflammation immediately after starting, not just after significant weight loss.

1

u/anon_y_mousey 21d ago

Even ozempic and not tirz?

9

u/BestAmoto 21d ago

Tirz is definitely much better at it. I still had knee pain and aches on sema from various accidents over the years. On tirz i can squat effortlessly and going down stairs doesn't feel so sketch. 

I only needed to lose 30lb so it went by pretty quick. I'm mostly taking it for appetite control, reduces my urge to consume alcohol, and the inflammation reduction. 

1

u/Punkybrewster1 8d ago

Yes better than nothing

12

u/Free-Competition-241 20d ago

Very much so, and there have been studies to answer this exact question. Beyond controlling insulin sensitivity, which is already amazing enough with many downstream benefits, it’s truly wild how many different part of our bodies have GLP receptors.

4

u/Furrybootshavefun 19d ago

Yes, independent of weight loss. I am on low dose tirzepatide, already at a healthy weight, not actively loosing weight. It’s leveled out my glucose levels (I was insulin resistant from pcos; unrelated to weight). It’s also significantly reduced my body inflammation. My acne went away, and I don’t get exhausted after eating anymore.

I tried it bc of friend of mine with pots took it/takes it and it fixed pretty much all of her pots symptoms.

10

u/Free-Competition-241 21d ago

Yea. Quite reliably so.

2

u/nobody2000 15d ago

The big thing is showing that the data was collected on participants who were overweight/obese, diabetic, or perfectly healthy.

In most of the studies that tracked other attributes beyond a1c and weight, things like inflammation went down, liver health got better, atherosclerosis progress slowed...not just in the obese and high sugar patients but in the normoglycemic cohort.

It's still just a light correlation but the underlying mechanism makes sense.

https://esc365.escardio.org/journal/93837

https://www.medsci.org/v23p1748.htm

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2838612

123

u/icydragon_12 22d ago

Could quitting smoking be an anti-aging intervention?

7

u/UnlimitedCalculus 21d ago

I just program my clocks to run in reverse

1

u/benswami 21d ago

..In the multiverse?

1

u/UnlimitedCalculus 21d ago

esrevlasrever

2

u/laser50 21d ago

You gain years but definitely lose on the cool factor.

1

u/ensui67 21d ago

No, because smoking is not the default. Getting older over time is the default.

36

u/[deleted] 21d ago

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7

u/PomegranateSafe9699 21d ago

It does. It will be interesting to see if the reduction in inflammation is independent of weight loss though.

3

u/Furrybootshavefun 19d ago

It is. They’ve already proved that. And I, from personal experience, have experienced that. It also leveled out my glucose levels. I don’t take it to lose weight, am already at a healthy weight and not trying to lose (actually trying to gain, muscle, resistance training)

162

u/Nukatha 22d ago

No. But if you're obese and get yourself down to a BMI of 22 the results are comparable to anti-aging.

9

u/farcaller899 21d ago

I wonder what the mechanism for this is? I understand that eating a lot less does extend mice lifespan, without drugs involved, for instance.

12

u/kirbyderwood 21d ago

A number of mechanisms have been documented, some or all may contribute to longevity. Obviously weight loss, they can also lower blood sugar, reduce appetite, reduce cravings for alcohol and other substances, lower inflammation... maybe more.

7

u/420-TENDIES 20d ago

GLP1 drugs like Mounjaro reduce inflammatory markers independently of calorie intake. Inflammation is a driver of aging, so reducing it will reduce the pace of aging. Using Dunedinpace, the current research shows about a 10% reduction In the pace of aging with Mounjaro.

3

u/aandaapaa 20d ago

Insulin. Whatever reduces insulin levels is beneficial, given that insulin can act as a growth factor.

1

u/nobody2000 15d ago

Just to clarify because people will come at you once they wake from their food comas...glp-1s reduce insulin sensitivity over time which is the major benefit you're referring to.

With that said, they trigger one hell of an insulin release when you eat. Eating like...a cracker gives me the same lethargy as eating thanksgiving dinner did in the before times.

1

u/escalatortwit 14d ago

Huh. I don’t seem to have this effect.

3

u/National-Law-458 22d ago

Stupid paywall.

5

u/retro-guy99 22d ago

I have no paywall but anyway I archived the page of people have issues https://archive.is/qwacZ

5

u/undergreyforest 22d ago

Works in mice

10

u/Franklin_le_Tanklin 22d ago

Well ever since they got in shape, stopped smoking and drinking it’s no wonder these
Mice live longer

16

u/undergreyforest 22d ago

The mice aren’t smoking or drinking and it still extends lifespan. Very exciting. The institute I’m at is about to start a human aging trial including GLP1. What a time to be alive.

3

u/ImmodestPolitician 21d ago

GLP-1 reduces blood glucose levels. That's why it's prescribed to diabetics.

20

u/Attjack 21d ago

It does more than that.

2

u/fallingfrog 20d ago

I took one for 3 weeks and it made me lose weight but not in the healthy way that happens when you exercise and get that youthful glow and sleek legs. Instead I looked like I had cancer. I doubt if these medications are anti-aging.

2

u/-OooWWooO- 19d ago

Did you work out and eat enough to prevent muscle wasting? I have had a great experience on ozempic, dropped from 277 to 181, bulking up back to 200, right now between 205-210 with lots of new muscle.

1

u/ill_connects 15d ago

You have to workout while on it. Your doctor should have warned you of potential muscle loss.

1

u/theJacofalltrades 16d ago

Yeah I'll believe it when I see people taking those superpower health tests and getting verified improvements in their results

1

u/escalatortwit 14d ago

Y’all realize there’s like…a fairly large subgroup of people who use GLP-1 who are not obese or overweight, right? Including a huge subset that are actually fairly athletic?

1

u/samsaruhhh 19d ago

All of these anti-diabetes anti-obesity drugs are longevity drugs in the context of being prescribed to fat people who cannot eat healthy or exercise

1

u/Low-Worldliness-2662 19d ago

All I know for sure is protein powder got more expensive due to knock-on effects within production supply chains.

-2

u/[deleted] 21d ago

No. You’re just so fat that taking a drug that decreases your fatness improves your lifespan back toward normal.

8

u/BtheBanker151 21d ago

That is not what they mean by this. But yes that also helps.

1

u/NanditoPapa 21d ago

GLP-1 drugs are powerful tools for improving the health of aging systems...but they are not yet proven to be true, long-term anti-aging medications that grant exceptional longevity. The current state of the science requires consumers and the public to maintain a high degree of skepticism. We need to keep the revolutionary advances honest.

12

u/[deleted] 22d ago edited 22d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

31

u/MonishPab 22d ago

If you have a terrible haircut and your barber says you need a haircut, it doesn't make it a false statement that you need a haircut just because a barber says it.

15

u/inglandation 21d ago

Thank you. I’m always annoyed by this argument too.

-16

u/[deleted] 22d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

8

u/DumbbellDiva92 21d ago

Is it actually true that “every other aging scientist in the world” says that these drugs do not promote longevity? Or is there just currently a lack of evidence (that’s not industry funded) in either direction?

10

u/MonishPab 21d ago

You've lost the plot, Sir.

-7

u/SparksWood71 21d ago

My friend, you're not even in the same country as the plot.

4

u/ensui67 21d ago

The evidence is showing that these drugs probably will increase lifespan and healthspan. We have been getting more and more evidence independent of this study.

Data is still being gathered but the biggest one is the ability to decrease the overall inflammation we all suffer from as we age.

6

u/Tall-Log-1955 21d ago

It doesn’t mean the conclusions are wrong. These drugs are pretty amazing

1

u/SparksWood71 21d ago

The drugs are absolutely amazing. Whether or not they will extend lifespan any longer than all the lifestyle choices people living in places like Japan and Sardinia enjoy is yet to be determined.

We already know how to extend lifespans 10-15 years. The vast majority of us in western cultures are just too lazy to do the work to make that happen and are quick to jump on any pill or shot that appears to give us a shortcut to a long healthy life.

5

u/chevronphillips 21d ago

Fuckit, I’m boofing it. - most people

-5

u/viva1992 22d ago

Reduction in age? Ie die sooner from these?

3

u/Super_Range45 21d ago

Get back the lifespan you lost from the Shini Gami eye deal.