Semaglutide as longevity medicine?

Yes, you read that right! GLP-1 receptor agonists such as semaglutide have tons of research on PubMed discussing the various anti-aging pathways that may be involved in semaglutide's mechanism of action. It's not only a medication for diabetes, heart disease, and weight loss. It's also possibly the next big discovery in longevity and anti-aging. I'm a longevity hobbyist, meaning I've been interested in health promotion, disease prevention, and longevity since I was 13 years old. Kind of a strange hobby for a kid, but I knew it was a passion from my first junior high school health class paper on atherosclerosis. Now I'm a Family Medicine physician specializing in health promotion, disease reversal, disease prevention and longevity.

Below you'll find some exciting research on identified aging biomarkers and the link with semaglutide/GLP-1 receptor agonists.

mTOR1c inhibition

Have you heard of rapamycin? It's an immune system modulator used in transplant medicine to help a transplant recipient not reject their new organ. But in lower doses, rapamycin is a highly sought after prescription medication because it inhibits the mTOR1 pathway, thus turning down hyperfunctioning aging pathways. Yes, this medication slows the pace of aging. It's not fully vetted yet and is not approved by the FDA to be used as a longevity medication, and actually aging is not yet a disease, but that's another topic for a different blog post. So longevity athletes use this medication off-label to help slow their aging.

Klotho protein

Now this protein sounds like it's from the Marvel Universe, but it's a real gene/protein and is known as the antiaging protein. Klotho also inhibits mTOR and is an inflammatory modulator. And yes you guessed it, GLP-1 medications like semaglutide stimulate Klotho production.

"The mechanism by which GLP-1 enhances Klotho protein levels involves the activation of protein kinase A (PKA) and protein kinase C (PKC) signaling pathways. These pathways ultimately lead to the upregulation of Klotho gene expression and increased synthesis of the Klotho protein. Consequently, the elevation of GLP-1 levels through various interventions such as GLP-1 receptor agonists or inhibitors of GLP-1 degradation can effectively boost Klotho protein levels and potentially promote anti-aging effects."

Prud’homme GJ, Kurt M and Wang Q (2022) Pathobiology of the Klotho Antiaging Protein and Therapeutic Considerations. Front. Aging 3:931331. doi: 10.3389/fragi.2022.931331.

It all comes down to disease prevention

So many people come to us for weight loss, and we do indeed have tremendous success with weight loss in our patients. There is a deeper level going on here besides just getting thinner. We're seeing dramatically reduced glucose levels, reduced blood pressure readings (and thus less hypertension medications needed) and lower cholesterol levels. These are all the things your primary care doctor routinely checks to hep prevent heart attack, stroke and cancer. So many of our patients get a perfect check up during their annual becasue we are able to normalize all their mesures of health. One of the very best ways to increase your longevity is simply to not develop or die from chronic diseases. This is the theory that Bryan Johnson follows, his motto is "Don't Die" and he's right. Medical advances are coming at a rapid pace, and if you can prevent the usual killers like heart attacks, strokes and cancer- or at least delay their onset by a decade or more, then your chances of there being a superior treatment in the future might be the difference between life and death.

New frontiers

So far we know the GLP-1 medications like semaglutide are very effective for diabetes, weight loss, and reducing heart disease. Emerging trials suggest they also protect kidney function, and may even treat Alzheimers. Having fewer diseases, or less severe chronic diseases, also means fewer medications to take. Polypharmacy is a huge problem in our elderly, with one pill for this and two for that, it really adds up and some people will take 30 medications trying to balance their failing health. Let's not forget the reduced wear and tear on joints by reducing weight, preventing or delaying total knee and hip replacements. Most people hope to never need a joint replacement, and will delay the surgery as long as they can. Addiction medicine is excited about the potential to help treat addiction. Animal studies have shown reduced use of highly addictive substances by stabilizing the dopamine reward pathway. The downstream implications are incredible to consider.

What about cancer?

It's a well-kept secret that obesity causes cancer. We have seen the link for a long time, this is another reason why your primary doctor always seems to suggest weight loss. A recent article published in JAMA found diabetic people taking semaglutide had less risk of developing 10 of these obesity-associated cancers. These cancers included esophageal, colorectal, endometrial, gallbladder, kidney, liver, ovarian, and pancreatic cancer, plus meningioma and multiple myeloma. We don't yet know how this works, but it goes back to the point of not dying as the first strategy in longevity.

Yes, semaglutide is a longevity drug!

My point is that semaglutide will help you lose about 15% of your current body weight. That is amazing and worth shouting to the world at the top of your lungs about. Don't keep it a secret! But the benefits go way deeper than just weight loss. We're talking disease prevention, improved quality of life, and actually living longer. You can't say I didn't tell you, because I just did. If you are interested in semaglutide for weight loss or longevity, we are experts in micro-dosing for longevity and full dosing for weight management. Call our office to set up an appointment at 916-803-2602, California residents only.