In people with HIV and belly fat who responded to tesamorelin, muscle density changes were linked to belly fat loss but not to changes in a growth-related hormone.

Changes in a growth hormone-related factor didn't match changes in muscle density or size in people with HIV and belly fat taking tesamorelin.

For HIV patients with belly fat who responded to this drug, taking tesamorelin for 6 months made their trunk muscles less fatty and more dense, like turning soft muscle into firmer muscle.

When belly fat went down in these patients, their trunk muscles also got less fatty—suggesting the same process might be cleaning up both types of fat.

For people with HIV and belly fat who responded to tesamorelin, the drug helped increase muscle density in their trunk muscles by 1.56 to 4.86 units compared to those who didn't take it.

For people with HIV and belly fat who responded to tesamorelin by losing belly fat, taking the drug for 26 weeks made their trunk muscles denser by 1.56 to 4.86 units compared to those who didn't take it.