While the news was once dominated by headlines about why you shouldn't take Ozempic, Mounjaro, Wegovy, and other so-called 'skinny jabs', scientists continue their research into whether some potential benefits could balance out the negative side effects.
With major celebrities ranging from Oprah Winfrey to Elon Musk admitting they've been transforming their bodies with 'skinny jabs', it's no surprise they’ve taken off among the general public.
No longer just reserved for the rich and famous, there's been a spike in popularity for semaglutide injections. Although there have been reports of potential side effects like osteoporosis, a reduced sex drive, and a possible mental health pandemic, others swear by them. Some have been cheering 'Ozempic penis' for men, while cardiovascular improvements and an apparent reduction in liver scarring are listed as other supposed benefits.
Now, new research from Kentucky's TruDiagnostic aging lab claims that semaglutide injections could 'reverse' aging.
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Although the findings are yet to be peer-reviewed, Futurism reports on how scientist Varun Dwaraka maintains that a weekly shot of the semaglutide GLP-1 drug found in Ozempic and others could dial back your biological age by up to three years.
Unlike your chronological age, which is how old your body physically is, it's important to note that biological age is how old you feel. Using 'epigenetic clocks', Dwaraka and the team measured someone's biological age via DNA methylation – basically looking at the chemical signals that are added or removed from our DNA as we grow older.
Blood samples were taken from 184 subjects with HIV-associated lipohypertrophy, chosen because they have "accelerated biological aging, characterized by premature onset of age-related conditions, persistent low-grade inflammation, and metabolic dysfunction."
Across 32 weeks, half of the group were given a GLP-1 shot once a week, while the other half were administered a placebo injection. Their bloods were collected at the end of the study, with Dwaraka telling New Scientist how the GLP-1 group "became, on average, 3.1 years biologically younger by the end of the study."
More than just having their biological age 'reversed', the GLP-1 group also supposedly demonstrated slower aging signals in their kidneys, hearts, inflammatory systems, and brain. Amazingly, it's said that some showed up to five years of age reversal in their brains.
Even though Dwaraka admitted it would be far too early to start prescribing skinny jabs as a miracle cure to reverse biological aging, he suggested that the opportunities were fascinating. He concluded: "Semaglutide may not only slow the rate of aging, but in some individuals partially reverse it."
Whereas the FDA has approved semaglutide for treating type 2 diabetes and reducing the risk of kidney disease progression in adults who have type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease, it's also warned about side effects, including intestinal blockages and allergic reactions. Most recently, the FDA has reiterated the dangers of acquiring unapproved compound versions of GLP-1 jabs.
Semaglutide supporters and skeptics are split into two camps as the research continues.