Short-term effects of liraglutide on visceral fat adiposity, appetite, and food preference: a pilot study of obese Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes

Abstract

BackgroundTo examine the effects of liraglutide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogue, on visceral fat adiposity, appetite, food preference, and biomarkers of cardiovascular system in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes.MethodsThe study subjects were 20 inpatients with type 2 diabetes treated with liraglutide [age; 61.2 ± 14.0 years, duration of diabetes; 16.9 ± 6.6 years, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c); 9.1 ± 1.2%, body mass index (BMI); 28.3 ± 5.2 kg/m2, mean ± SD]. After improvement in glycemic control by insulin or oral glucose-lowering agents, patients were switched to liraglutide. We assessed the estimated visceral fat area (eVFA) by abdominal bioelectrical impedance analysis, glycemic control by the 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and eating behavior by the Japan Society for the Study of Obesity questionnaire.ResultsTreatment with liraglutide (dose range: 0.3 to 0.9 mg/day) for 20.0 ± 6.4 days significantly reduced waist circumference, waist/hip ratio, eVFA. It also significantly improved the scores of eating behavior, food preference and the urge for fat intake and tended to reduce scores for sense of hunger. Liraglutide increased serum C-peptide immunoreactivity and disposition index.ConclusionsShort-term treatment with liraglutide improved visceral fat adiposity, appetite, food preference and the urge for fat intake in obese Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes.

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“…Visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissues were significantly reduced after treatment with liraglutide compared to treatment with glimepiride (P < 0.05) in the LEAD-2 trial. Inoue et al [33] found that treatment with liraglutide (dose range: 0.3-0.9 mg/d) for 20.0 ± 6.4 d significantly reduced the estimated visceral fat area (eVFA). GLP-1RA treatment in severely obese adolescents also led to a significant decrease in the eVFA [34] .…”

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“…In addition, it is reported that liraglutide could reduce visceral fat in parallel with improvement of glycemic control [4,5]. Visceral fat accumulation is strongly associated with insulin resistance, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and systemic chronic low-grade inflammation, all of which play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, thus increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) [6][7][8].…”

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“…The effect was maintained throughout the 6 months after discontinuation of liraglutide. It significantly reduced the urge for fat intake [11,12] . Such improvement in eating behaviour induced by liraglutide has not been reported for other glucose-lowering agents.…”