If HIV patients stop taking the injection, the belly fat they lost comes right back quickly.

Scientific Claim

Discontinuation of tesamorelin in HIV-infected adults on antiretroviral therapy with abdominal fat accumulation leads to rapid loss of visceral fat reduction achieved during treatment, indicating the effect is dependent on ongoing therapy.

Original Statement

“The initial improvements over 6 months in VAT were rapidly lost in those switching from tesamorelin to placebo.”

From study:Unknown Title

Evidence Quality Assessment

Claim Status

appropriately stated

Study Design Support

Design supports claim

Appropriate Language Strength

definitive

Can make definitive causal claims

Assessment Explanation

The crossover design with randomization and blinding allows for causal inference about the dependency of effect on continued dosing.

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

Unknown Title

Randomized Controlled Trial

Human

When people stopped taking tesamorelin, their belly fat came back quickly, meaning they had to keep taking the drug to stay slim in the belly.

Contradicting (0)

No contradicting evidence found

Source Study

Unknown Title

Score: 81

DOI: 10.1097/QAI.0b013e3181cbdaff

Similar Assertions

Tesamorelin only targets dangerous belly fat in HIV patients, leaving other fat stores like arms and legs unchanged.

91%

A drug called tesamorelin helps HIV patients with belly fat buildup lose about 11% of their dangerous internal belly fat in six months, while those on a dummy pill lose almost none.

91%

A drug called tesamorelin helps reduce belly fat deep inside the abdomen for people with HIV who are on medication, making their belly fat decrease by about 15% compared to those not taking the drug. This finding is from the abstract summary - full study details were not available

91%

The drug only melts the fat deep inside the belly, not the fat you can pinch on the skin or in the arms and legs.

91%

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

90%