Since scientists realized that a class of drugs designed to help curb the symptoms of diabetes can also help people lose weight, no one has been able to stop talking about it.

All of the news and studies so far have been positive – though you should think critically about that, since many of them have been funded by interested parties – and now scientists say the drug could also delay aging.

This claim is based on a study that shows people taking semaglutide GLP-1 drugs died at a lower rate overall, says cardiologist Harlan Krumholz.

“Semaglutide has far-reaching benefits beyond what we initially imagined. It’s not just avoiding heart attacks. These are health promoters. It wouldn’t surprise me that improving people’s health this way actually slows down the aging process.”

The studies in question followed more than 17,600 people over the age of 45 who were obese or overweight and had cardiovascular disease but not diabetes.

Each subject was given semaglutide or a placebo.

The patients who got the semaglutide died at a 19% lower rate from all causes compared to the placebo group – COVID-19 deaths, in particular, reduced by 33%.

Semaglutide mimics the GLP-1 hormone that manages your body’s production of insulin.. It helps your body manage blood sugar levels by affecting your brain’s perception of hunger.

Many patients report a lack of appetite overall while taking it. Others report a lack of all cravings, including nicotine and alcohol.

Other studies have linked its use with a lowered risk of dementia, heart disease, and diabetic kidney disease

Benjamin Scirica, lead author on one of the studies, believes the hype.

“The robust reduction in non-cardiovascular death, and particularly infections deaths, was surprising. These findings reinforce that overweight and obesity increases the risk of death due to many etiologies which can be modified with therapies like semaglutide.”

There are some notable side effects, like suicidal ideation and gastrointestinal troubles, but they’re not as glamorous (or solid) as the positive ones.

We have only known about this treatment for a short while, and more long-term studies may have a bigger picture of good and bad to tell.

For now, I would still use with caution.

If you thought that was interesting, you might like to read about a second giant hole has opened up on the sun’s surface. Here’s what it means.