Fat loss from belly fat medicine helps liver numbers in HIV patients
Visceral fat reduction with tesamorelin is associated with improved liver enzymes in HIV
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
A medicine called tesamorelin helps reduce belly fat in people with HIV. This study found that when people lost enough belly fat (≥8%), their liver numbers (ALT and AST) got better. Even after stopping the medicine, the liver numbers stayed improved for a year. People who didn’t lose enough belly fat didn’t see the same liver benefits.
Surprising Findings
Liver enzyme improvements lasted 52 weeks after stopping the drug, even with partial fat reaccumulation.
Most metabolic benefits from drugs or lifestyle changes fade after stopping treatment. This suggests a 'reset' in liver metabolism from visceral fat reduction.
Practical Takeaways
If you have belly fat and elevated liver enzymes, reducing visceral fat — especially with targeted interventions — may improve liver health.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
A medicine called tesamorelin helps reduce belly fat in people with HIV. This study found that when people lost enough belly fat (≥8%), their liver numbers (ALT and AST) got better. Even after stopping the medicine, the liver numbers stayed improved for a year. People who didn’t lose enough belly fat didn’t see the same liver benefits.
Surprising Findings
Liver enzyme improvements lasted 52 weeks after stopping the drug, even with partial fat reaccumulation.
Most metabolic benefits from drugs or lifestyle changes fade after stopping treatment. This suggests a 'reset' in liver metabolism from visceral fat reduction.
Practical Takeaways
If you have belly fat and elevated liver enzymes, reducing visceral fat — especially with targeted interventions — may improve liver health.
Publication
Journal
AIDS
Year
2017
Authors
Lindsay T Fourman, Natalia Czerwonka, Meghan N. Feldpausch, Julian J Weiss, J. Mamputu, J. Falutz, Josée Morin, C. Marsolais, T. Stanley, S. Grinspoon
Related Content
Claims (10)
Tesamorelin has robust human evidence demonstrating specific reductions in metabolically harmful fat depots including visceral, liver, and intramuscular fat.
In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 404 HIV-infected patients with abdominal fat accumulation, tesamorelin reduced visceral adipose tissue by 10.9% (21 cm²) after 6 months compared to less than 1% in the placebo group, with concurrent reductions in waist circumference and trunk fat and increases in IGF-I levels.
Administration of tesamorelin results in a statistically significant reduction in visceral adipose tissue volume compared to placebo, with a mean reduction of approximately 11% after 6 months of treatment.
Tesamorelin independently increases fat density in visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue, indicating improved fat quality with smaller adipocytes, better vascularization, reduced hypoxia, and decreased inflammation, independent of fat quantity changes.
In a 6-month randomized, placebo-controlled trial, tesamorelin significantly reduced both visceral and hepatic (liver) fat, with liver fat reduction being particularly important as it improves insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism.