The evidence is tantalising. But that is not the same as proof
“RESIST SAYING, ‘this will be no panacea’. When you find something that is a panacea, that will indeed be news.” This wise advice once appeared in The Economist’s Style Guide, and the first part is routinely enforced. Some people are, however, asking whether the second part’s time may perhaps have come, as a group of drugs now routinely prescribed for type 2 diabetes and obesity are being sought out by healthy people in the hope that they will help preserve that health for longer, and even extend life.
This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Can GLP-1 drugs help you live longer?”
From the March 21st 2026 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents