Can taking Wegovy help you age better?

As you age, you become more vulnerable to diseases and illnesses. While genetics play a role, environmental factors are also key. Having an overweight BMI, living a sedentary lifestyle, and eating an unhealthy diet increase your chances of developing chronic illnesses.

Medically reviewed by

Craig Marsh, Clinical Reviewer

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Medically reviewed by

Mr Craig Marsh

Clinical Reviewer

on Oct 18, 2024.

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Last updated on Oct 17, 2024.

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Summary:

Wegovy can contribute to better health outcomes by addressing obesity, a key factor in age-related health issues.
Treating obesity can reduce pressure on your joints and improve mobility, particularly if you have arthritis in your knees.
Wegovy can help stabilize energy levels by improving insulin sensitivity and glucose absorption.
Losing weight if you have obesity can lower your risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other conditions.

It’s never too late to make healthier lifestyle choices. Taking Wegovy can help reduce the risk of various health conditions if you’re overweight. It’s a weight loss medication with the potential to help you live longer. While it isn’t a miracle drug that can reverse aging, it can reduce physical limitations later in life by improving your mobility, cardiovascular health, and other factors.

Wegovy contains the active ingredient semaglutide, a GLP-1 receptor agonist. It works by controlling insulin secretion, delaying gastric emptying (how long it takes for food to leave your stomach), and suppressing your appetite.

How can Wegovy help you to age better?

Wegovy is a weight loss drug that helps regulate your blood sugar and weight. This can reduce your risk of developing certain illnesses as well as impact your overall health and aging.

Here are some specific ways it can help you age better.

Mobility can improve

Mobility is the ability to move around comfortably and freely. As you get older your mobility decreases; approximately one third of adults aged over 65 find it difficult to walk.

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) can cause limited mobility, and it’s the most common source of knee pain in people over 50. One of the primary factors contributing to knee OA is obesity. Being overweight adds extra pressure on your knee joints, which can wear down your cartilage. This causes pain, making it hard to move around comfortably.

If you are overweight, your doctor will recommend losing weight and exercising. Wegovy can help you lose weight, which helps remove the pressure on the knees. This was assessed using the WOMAC scale (a questionnaire that measures the pain and stiffness in people with knee OA), where patients using semaglutide had a 41.7 point reduction in pain compared to 27.5 for the placebo group. Another study on the impact of semaglutide on OA found that it can help prevent the condition’s onset.

However it’s still important to do strength training exercises and eat a lot of protein to help maintain your muscle mass when losing weight. This is because you’re at a higher risk of developing sarcopenia when you’re older (a condition characterized by muscle loss).

Energy levels can improve

As you age, you may find you need to nap more or sleep longer, which is normal. However, conditions like diabetes can also contribute to fatigue.

When you have diabetes, high blood sugar levels can sap your energy, leaving you feeling tired. Glucose is the body’s primary energy source, but with diabetes, the body struggles to absorb it properly. This poor absorption leads to low energy levels. Other symptoms of diabetes, such as dehydration, can further contribute to fatigue.

Wegovy, originally developed as a diabetes medication, increases insulin sensitivity. This helps your body use insulin more effectively, allowing it to move glucose into your cells and lower blood sugar. It also controls your appetite and helps manage the breakdown of food, making energy production more efficient. These combined effects — insulin regulation, improved food breakdown, and appetite control — help stabilize your energy levels throughout the day.

However, these positive changes in energy levels may not be immediate. Initially, you might feel more tired, which is a common side effect of semaglutide. But once your body adjusts to the medication, the positive effects should follow.

Sleeping patterns can improve

Your sleep quality naturally declines with age. You may find yourself waking up more frequently or sleeping more lightly. While these changes are normal and typically don’t require medication, Wegovy might help if your sleep is affected by a condition like sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea is an obstructive condition where your breathing repeatedly stops and starts throughout the night, making it harder to breathe. It’s commonly linked to obesity, older age, and type 2 diabetes.

With obesity, excess fat can accumulate around your airways, narrowing them and making it harder to breathe. Losing weight can significantly improve sleep apnea and is often recommended if you’re overweight.

For patients with obesity-related sleep apnea who struggle to lose weight, semaglutide might help. Some studies suggest that semaglutide can reduce the severity of sleep apnea, but more research is needed before it can be considered a treatment for obesity-related sleep apnea.

If you think Wegovy might help with your sleep apnea, get in touch with a physician, who can determine if it’s the right treatment for you.

Risk of illness can decrease

As you get older, you often become more vulnerable to illnesses. This risk increases even more with obesity, so losing weight can significantly improve your health outcome. And losing it with Wegovy is even better.

Wegovy has been proven to:

Improve blood sugar levels, therefore managing and preventing the risk of diabetes.
Reduce high blood pressure.
Improve cholesterol levels.
Reduce the risk of cardiovascular illness, including strokes and heart attacks.
Reduce the risk of kidney, heart and liver failure.
Improve and prevent knee arthritis.

Is Wegovy the best way to improve your overall health?

We can’t say for sure that Wegovy is right for you. Health isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach, so what works for others might now work for you.

But if you’re living with obesity and have struggled to lose weight in the past, trying Wegovy might be worth it. Get in touch with our clinicians and they’ll discuss if Wegovy is right for you.

Sourcing guidelines:

When we present you with stats, data, opinion or a consensus, we’ll tell you where this came from. And we’ll only present data as clinically reliable if it’s come from a reputable source, such as a state or government-funded health body, a peer-reviewed medical journal, or a recognised analytics or data body. Read more in our editorial policy.

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Disclaimer: The information provided on this page is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have any questions or concerns about your health, please talk to a doctor.