Even after stopping tesamorelin and some fat coming back, the liver enzyme improvements stayed for a year in patients who initially lost visceral fat.
Scientific Claim
Among HIV-infected patients with elevated baseline ALT or AST who achieved ≥8% visceral adipose tissue reduction with tesamorelin, improvements in alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase levels persisted for 52 weeks despite partial visceral fat reaccumulation after switching to placebo.
Original Statement
“This improvement among VAT responders persisted over 52 weeks even in those switched to placebo despite a partial re-accumulation of VAT.”
Evidence Quality Assessment
Claim Status
appropriately stated
Study Design Support
Design supports claim
Appropriate Language Strength
association
Can only show association/correlation
Assessment Explanation
The study design supports association claims. The language correctly avoids causation while describing observed persistence of effects.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (1)
Visceral fat reduction with tesamorelin is associated with improved liver enzymes in HIV