When people with HIV and belly fat lost fat from a placebo pill, their liver enzymes didn't improve, but when they lost fat from tesamorelin, their liver enzymes did improve.
Scientific Claim
In HIV-infected patients with abdominal obesity, placebo-induced visceral adipose tissue reduction was not associated with changes in alanine aminotransferase or aspartate aminotransferase levels, unlike tesamorelin-induced reduction.
Original Statement
“Among placebo-treated subjects, VAT reduction ≥ 8% was not associated with a concurrent decline in ALT (VAT ≥ 8% vs. < 8%, −6.5 ± 21.1 vs. −4.8 ± 21.1 U/L, P = 0.75) or AST (VAT ≥ 8% vs. < 8%, −2.1 ± 21.5 vs. −2.9 ± 15.5 U/L, P = 0.33), which is in contrast to tesamorelin-treated patients.”
Evidence Quality Assessment
Claim Status
appropriately stated
Study Design Support
Design supports claim
Appropriate Language Strength
association
Can only show association/correlation
Assessment Explanation
The claim accurately describes the differential association between treatment groups without causal language. The study design supports this comparison.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (1)
Visceral fat reduction with tesamorelin is associated with improved liver enzymes in HIV