Dallas [US], Aug 6 (ANI): Results from a new clinical study at UT Southwestern Medical Center show that a commonly prescribed weight loss drug called liraglutide successfully targets fat that can harm heart health.
The results of the study were published in the journal “The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology”.
In adults with overweight or obesity combined with a high cardiovascular risk, once daily use of liraglutide in combination with lifestyle interventions significantly lowered two types of fat that have been linked to risk for heart health: visceral fat and ectopic fat.
Visceral fat is stored in the abdominal cavity around important internal organs such as the liver, pancreas, and intestines. Ectopic fat is stored in tissues that usually contain small amounts of fat, such as the liver, skeletal muscle, heart, and pancreas.
“Our study used the latest imaging technology to assess various components of fat in the body. The main finding was a significant decrease in visceral fat in patients without diabetes but who were overweight or obese. These results show the potential of liraglutide treatment to significantly reduce it. ” the risk of chronic disease in this population, “said Parag Joshi, MD, preventive cardiologist, assistant professor of cardiology, and lead author on the study.
The 185 study participants received one injection of liraglutide once daily for 40 weeks of treatment. The relative effects of liraglutide on fat reduction were two-fold in abdominal tissue and six-fold greater in liver than that of total body weight.
The treatment effect was consistent across all categories of race / ethnicity and BMI, as well as those with or without prediabetes at baseline. Liraglutide also reduced fasting blood sugar and inflammation in this non-diabetic study population, most of whom had normal blood sugar levels at baseline.
In a 2016 study led by UTSW researchers called the Leader Study, the rate of first onset of deaths from cardiovascular causes, non-fatal myocardial infarction, or non-fatal stroke in patients with type 2 diabetes was found among patients treated with liraglutide, lower than placebo.
“Our results help add a possible mechanism for why liraglutide has an advantage on cardiovascular outcomes while demonstrating its benefits in people without diabetes,” said Dr. Joshi.
According to the researchers, obesity affects an estimated 1 in 4 adults and 1 in 5 adolescents, leading to a significant risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality.
“Excess visceral fat and ectopic fat (e.g. liver) are central to the development of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. It remains a challenge to identify those at highest risk in addition to lifestyle changes like diet and exercise, “said Dr. Joshi.
The study was funded by an investigator-initiated grant from Novo Nordisk.
Other UT Southwestern researchers who contributed to the study include Colby R. Ayers, Bienka Lewis, Robert Oslica, Susan Rodder, and Ambarish Pandey. (ANI)
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