Tesamorelin for the treatment of excess abdominal fat in HIV-1-infected patients with lipodystrophy.
Mateo. Maria Gracia MG; Gutiérrez. Maria Del Mar MDM; Domingo. Pere P
Key Findings
- Reduces visceral (deep) abdominal fat in HIV‑1 patients with lipodystrophy
- Improves triglyceride levels and reduces belly‑appearance distress
- Well tolerated with no significant rise in glucose or insulin
- Benefits are lost after stopping treatment
Practical Outcomes
- For biohackers, tesamorelin shows that targeting the growth‑ hormone pathway can cut visceral fat, but it’s only studied in HIV patients and requires prescription and monitoring. It isn’t a ready‑to‑use DIY supplement and stopping it will reverse gains.
Summary
Tesamorelin is a lab-made hormone that can shrink deep belly fat in people with HIV who have a condition called lipodystrophy. It also helps lower triglycerides and makes the belly look better, without major changes in blood sugar. The effect disappears if you stop the shots.
Abstract
Morphologic and metabolic abnormalities remain a common problem in patients with HIV-1 infection, which contributes to poor self image and may negatively impact on patient's adherence to medication and success of therapy. In addition, these physiological and metabolic changes can lead to increased cardiovascular risk. In such patients, excess central fat could be associated with loss of subcutaneous fat. Several strategies to decrease the excess of visceral fat have been assessed. Tesamorelin, an injectable growth hormone-releasing factor analogue, has been shown to improve visceral fat adiposity with relatively little effect on subcutaneous fat with improvement in triglycerides and belly appearance distress. It is well tolerated overall without clinically significant changes in mean glucose or insulin levels. However, these benefits cease if treatment is discontinued.
Study Information
pubmed
2011
2011-01-01T00:00:00.000Z
10.1586/eem.10.83
3
34