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

Scientific Claim

Tesamorelin does not reduce limb or abdominal subcutaneous fat in HIV-infected patients with central fat accumulation after 6 months of treatment.

Original Statement

“with no change in limb or abdominal SC fat.”

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 study is a randomized controlled trial with a control group, which allows for causal inference. The verb 'does not reduce' is appropriate for this design.

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (0)

No supporting evidence found

Contradicting (1)

Unknown Title

Randomized Controlled Trial

Human

The study found that tesamorelin shrinks belly fat inside the abdomen but doesn’t make the outer fat on the limbs or belly smaller — which is exactly what the claim says.

Source Study

Unknown Title

Score: 81

DOI: 10.1097/QAI.0b013e3181cbdaff

Similar Assertions

A hormone treatment called tesamorelin doesn't change the fat under the skin in people with HIV who have excess belly fat after six months of treatment.

93%

Continuing tesamorelin for a full year helps HIV patients with belly fat lose nearly 18% of their dangerous internal belly fat, with no loss of benefit over time.

93%

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

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%

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

90%