Safety and efficacy of liraglutide on reducing visceral and ectopic fat in adults with or without type 2 diabetes mellitus: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Abstract

Aim: To assess the efficacy and safety of liraglutide to reduce visceral and ectopic fat in adults with or without type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).Methods: Four databases were searched up to 6 May 2022 for randomized clinical trials assessing the effect of liraglutide on visceral and ectopic fat. The mean and standard deviation of the values of visceral fat, ectopic fat and body mass index were calculated. Subgroup analyses were performed based on the type of disease (T2DM or non-T2DM), duration of intervention, dosage of liraglutide and whether life interventions were added to liraglutide therapy. We extracted and integrated the safety assessments reported in each article.Results: Sixteen randomized clinical trials with, in total, 845 participants were included in the meta-analysis. Liraglutide could significantly decrease visceral fat [standard mean difference (SMD) = À0.72, 95% confidence interval (CI; À1.12, À0.33)], liver fat [SMD = À0.78, 95% CI (À1.24, À0.32)] and body mass index [weighted mean difference = À1.44, 95% CI (À1.95, À0.92)] in adult patients with or without T2DM when compared with the control group. However, reduction of epicardial fat by liraglutide [SMD = À0.74, 95% CI (À1.82, 0.34)] was not statistically significant. Subgroup analysis revealed that an adequate dosage (≥1.8 mg/day) and appropriate duration of treatment (ranging from 16 to 40 weeks) were the decisive factors for liraglutide to reduce visceral fat effectively. Mild gastrointestinal reactions were the main adverse event of liraglutide.Conclusions: Liraglutide significantly and safely reduces visceral and ectopic liver fat irrespective of T2DM status, and reduces visceral fat provided adequate dosage and duration of therapy are ensured.

Role of epicardial adipose tissue in diabetic cardiomyopathy through the lens of cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging – a narrative review

“…MEDLINE was systematically searched using the keywords ‘epicardial fat’, ‘EAT’ and ‘diabetes’. Recent systematic reviews 56 – 60 (covering the period of the last 5 years, between 2018 and 2023) were screened for relevant studies. The following inclusion criteria were used:…”

Therapy of Type 2 Diabetes

“…A recent systematic review with meta-analysis of 16 RCTs with 845 patients showed that liraglutide leads to a significant and safe reduction of visceral and ectopic liver fat 273 .…”

Epicardial adipose tissue, metabolic disorders, and cardiovascular diseases: recent advances classified by research methodologies

“…In the past decade, four types of interventions have been proposed to reduce EAT volume, including exercise interventions, dietary interventions, bariatric surgery, and pharmaceutical interventions 129–134 (Figure 3). There have been a number of well‐designed tables summarizing related clinical studies in recent systematic reviews 134–142 …”

“…There have been a number of well‐designed tables summarizing related clinical studies in recent systematic reviews. 134 , 135 , 136 , 137 , 138 , 139 , 140 , 141 , 142 …”