Weight-loss injections could “slow down the clock” on biological ageing as they treat the underlying cause of a range of diseases, experts have suggested.
More than ten studies were presented at the European Society of Cardiology conference on Friday showing that semaglutide, also known as Ozempic or Wegovy, has ”far-reaching benefits beyond what we initially imagined”.
Experts suggested that the injections could treat multiple health conditions linked to inflammation, including cancer, arthritis, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
A series of trials involving researchers from Yale and Harvard revealed that semaglutide could reverse kidney disease, prevent heart failure, reduce previously untreatable high blood pressure and cut the risk of dying from coronavirus by a third. It has already been proven to cut deaths from heart attacks and strokes by a fifth.
Semaglutide is the first in a new generation of weight-loss drugs called GLP-1 agonists and was introduced in 2018 as a type 2 diabetes treatment under the brand name Ozempic. It is used on the NHS to treat obesity and diabetes.