The drug turns on genes that help mitochondria burn fat and make energy more efficiently.

This study shows tesamorelin helps reduce belly fat in HIV patients, but it didn’t check if it turns on the specific genes that help burn fat in mitochondria, so we can’t say for sure if that’s how it works.

The study shows that the drug helps muscles recover energy faster after exercise, which might mean mitochondria are working better—but it didn’t check if the genes responsible for that improvement were turned up.

This study talks about a different molecule (MOTS-c) from mitochondria that helps control metabolism, but it doesn’t mention Tesamorelin or any genes it might turn on, so it doesn’t support the claim.