Are GLP-1s the First Longevity Drugs? | Lifespan with Dr. David Sinclair - S2, Ep. 11

Matthew LaPlante (0:00)

GLP-1s might not just be obesity drugs.

David Sinclair (0:04)

Many doctors and researchers are starting to agree that this class of drugs might be the world's first effective longevity medicines.

Matthew LaPlante (0:12)

And that's where things get interesting.

David Sinclair (0:14)

The rate of aging, according to this study, was 9% slower in the semaglutide patients. So it may be that history will record that the GLP-1s are actually acting through the brain, and then the brain tells the body to fight aging.

Matthew LaPlante (0:29)

What's this next generation of GLP-1s going to look like in practice?

David Sinclair (0:35)

We're actually in the middle of history being made right now.

Welcome to Lifespan, a show where we discuss the cutting edge science of aging and how to live healthier at any stage of life.

I'm David Sinclair, a scientist and professor working on understanding why we age and discovering new ways to slow and even reverse the aging process.

On this show, I share an insider's look at the latest from my lab, the field and what's just around the corner.

Hey, everyone. Could a drug developed for diabetes be the first medicine to truly slow aging? Chances are you're either taking a GLP-1 drug, know someone who is, or have wondered whether you should. They become hard to ignore. Today, Matt and I cut through the noise. We get into how a desert lizard helped inspire a medical revolution, how GLP-1 drugs work, and why they're affecting everything from heart disease to alcohol intake to grocery bills. We also talk about a new finding that lit up the internet from my longtime friend and colleague, Danica Chen. She showed that semaglutide, one of the GLP-1 medicines, extended Lifespan in older female mice, with effects that couldn't be explained by calorie restriction alone. We cover the benefits, the risks, different GLP-1s available now, and the exciting new medicines that are just around the corner. We discuss what they could mean for aging, and why many people are trying microdosing. It's worth remembering that Matt and I are doctors, but not the medical kind. So this isn't medical advice, and always consult your physician. I'm so excited to share that Lifespan magazine is now available, along with everything we're building around it to help you live a longer, healthier life. You'll get the gorgeous 100-page magazine, early access to Lifespan episodes, my longevity newsletter, clinical trial updates, AMAs, exclusive interviews, and a lot more to come. Go to lifespan.com to read the magazine, see what we're building, and support medical research too. There's a free version, an $8 a month membership, and a founder membership with lifetime access to the magazine, bonus material, and some personal gifts from me. Life's too short. Let's change that together. Okay, let's go. Welcome back to the Lifespan show. I'm David Sinclair, and I'm here in the studio with Dr. Matthew LaPlante, my buddy and co-author. Welcome, Matt.

Matthew LaPlante (3:13)

Hey, buddy.

David Sinclair (3:14)

Hey, old friend now. Yeah.

Matthew LaPlante (3:16)

Old friends.

David Sinclair (3:16)

We've been doing this for quite a while.

Matthew LaPlante (3:18)

We've been working together for a decade now.

David Sinclair (3:21)

Yeah. Yeah, we wrote Lifespan together, of course.

And now we've got this show. It's awesome to have you.

Matthew LaPlante (3:25)

Thank you. And I was really glad that you invited me back for this topic in particular, because I don't think that I go a day, maybe not even a few hours at a time living in the world that we live in right now, without hearing people talk about GLP-1s. And we tend to think these as obesity drugs, but they've got this really fascinating history that you and I have been talking about over the past few weeks. And I'm excited to talk to you about that today.

David Sinclair (3:52)

Well, this isn't just for obese people. It affects everyone potentially. And today we're going to talk about not just how they work and why you should know about them, but how they might change the future of this species.

Matthew LaPlante (4:05)

That's a big claim, might change the future of this species.

David Sinclair (4:10)

Well, this is a timely show because we just saw a paper in Nature from my friend and old colleague from MIT, Danica Chen. And she and her team put out a paper that showed, at least in female mice, that one of these GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs could extend Lifespan and greatly improve healthspan.

Matthew LaPlante (4:28)

And so this is why you gave me a call. You said, hey, look, Matthew, we have this longevity drug. You used the word longevity drug. I was like, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, hold on, hold on. So I'm thinking rapamycin, maybe metformin, all the things that you and I have talked about again and again and again. And along come GLPs, and we tend to think of them as obesity drugs, diabetes drugs. But there is increasing evidence, including in this paper that just was published, that we're not just talking about fixing fat.