Even though the drug reduces belly fat, it doesn’t make blood sugar worse — which is important because some fat-loss drugs can cause diabetes risk.

Even though it reduces belly fat, the injection doesn’t make blood sugar worse or cause diabetes in these patients.

The drug doesn’t make you lose fat from your skin or your arms and legs — it only targets the fat deep inside your belly, which is the kind that’s most dangerous.

A hormone treatment called tesamorelin temporarily raises blood sugar by 7 points more than a placebo in people with HIV after two weeks of treatment, but this effect goes away after six months.

A daily injection called tesamorelin helps HIV patients with a big belly lose nearly 11% of their dangerous internal belly fat in six months, while those getting a fake shot don’t lose any.

If HIV patients keep taking the injection for a full year, they lose even more belly fat inside their abdomen—about 18% total.