Mice given semaglutide, the GLP-1 drug sold as Ozempic and Wegovy, lived on average 100 days longer than untreated mice in a study published in Nature on 12 September 2026 by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley. The team gave the drug to 20-month-old female mice, roughly equivalent to late middle age, for three months and compared them with mice on calorie-restricted diets and with untreated controls. Treated mice reached a median lifespan of 834 days, about 12% longer than the 742-day median among untreated controls, and showed improved muscle strength, spatial memory and blood sugar control along the way. The work was funded by the US National Institute on Aging and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Semaglutide is licensed in the UK for type 2 diabetes and weight management, not for longevity, and the findings come from mice rather than people.
What the mouse data does and does not show
The Berkeley team, led by Danica Chen, found semaglutide's effects on markers of ageing went beyond those produced by calorie restriction alone, suggesting the drug works through pathways other than appetite suppression. The researchers were explicit about the limits of that finding: according to the university's own summary, there is "no indication that similar results could be immediately achieved in humans," and the paper is framed as a starting point for further research rather than a demonstrated human benefit. Mice have shorter lifespans and different metabolisms to humans, so a 100-day extension in a mouse does not translate directly into extra years for a person.
What this means for healthy ageing
None of this changes how semaglutide is used in the UK today. It remains a prescription medicine for type 2 diabetes and weight management through NHS and private pathways, not an over-the-counter longevity treatment, and the study does not alter NICE guidance on who should be prescribed it. What it adds is early evidence that GLP-1 drugs may act on biological ageing processes as well as on weight and blood sugar, a question researchers are now expected to test in longer studies and eventually in people. Interest in healthy ageing already drives a lot of browsing through Perqen's full catalogue, and more research like this is likely as the science matures, but nothing here changes what anyone should be taking today.
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