Treatment with the GLP-1 receptor agonist semaglutide was associated with slower biological aging in adults with HIV-associated lipohypertrophy, according to a study published May 19 in Nature Communications.
Here are four things to know:
- Researchers conducted a post hoc analysis of a 32-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 2b trial involving 84 participants with HIV-associated lipohypertrophy. The parent trial evaluated semaglutide’s effects on body fat distribution, while the new analysis examined DNA methylation-based measures of biological aging.
- Compared with placebo, semaglutide was associated with slower aging across multiple second- and third-generation epigenetic clocks, including PhenoAge, PCGrimAge, GrimAge V2, OMICmAge and RetroAge.
- Participants who received semaglutide also had an approximately 9% slower pace of biological aging, as measured by the DunedinPACE epigenetic clock.
- The authors said the findings should be interpreted cautiously because the analysis was exploratory, included a modest sample size and was limited to people with HIV-associated lipohypertrophy. They called for prospective trials to determine whether GLP-1 receptor agonists can be repurposed to target biological aging.
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