The drug made two key core muscles—rectus and psoas—slightly bigger, adding about half a square inch each after six months, while the placebo group didn’t change.

Pro

Against

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

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The Growth Hormone Releasing Hormone Analogue, Tesamorelin, Decreases Muscle Fat and Increases Muscle Area in Adults with HIV

Randomized Controlled Trial

Human

2019

The study found that a drug called tesamorelin helped HIV-positive people with belly fat gain a little more muscle in their abdomen and lower back after 26 weeks, exactly as the claim says.

Contradicting (0)

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No contradicting evidence found

Source Study

The Growth Hormone Releasing Hormone Analogue, Tesamorelin, Decreases Muscle Fat and Increases Muscle Area in Adults with HIV

Score: 60

DOI: 10.14283/jfa.2018.45

Similar Assertions

HIV patients with belly fat who responded to tesamorelin had bigger rectus and psoas muscles (0.44 and 0.46 cm² larger) compared to placebo after 26 weeks.

95%

People with HIV and belly fat who responded to tesamorelin by losing belly fat saw their rectus and psoas muscles grow 0.44 cm² and 0.46 cm² larger than those on placebo after 26 weeks of treatment.

94%

Tesamorelin increased rectus and psoas muscle size by 0.44 and 0.46 cm² in people with HIV and belly fat, and this effect remained even after accounting for belly fat loss.

93%

People with HIV and belly fat who responded to tesamorelin by losing belly fat saw their trunk muscles grow larger in specific areas: rectus abdominis by 0.85 cm², psoas by 0.64 cm², and others by up to 1.08 cm² more than those on placebo after 26 weeks.

92%

This drug didn’t just make muscles less fatty—it also made them bigger in size, adding about half a square inch of lean muscle in the core area after six months.

91%