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Short-term effects of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists on fat distribution in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: an ultrasonography study

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Abstract

Aims

Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RA) induce weight loss and reduction in adipose tissue, but the effects of GLP-1 RA on the distribution of fat deposits have been poorly investigated.

Methods

In 25 patients with type 2 diabetes (16 females and 9 males, mean age 63.5 ± 8.8 years), treated with GLP-1 RA (exenatide, n. 12; liraglutide, n.13), both before and 3 months after starting treatment, an abdominal ultrasonographic scan, with Doppler of renal arteries, and echocardiography were performed. Subcutaneous fat width (peri-umbilical and sub-xiphoid), deep fat deposits (pre-aortic, peri-renal, and epicardial), and renal resistive index (RI) were evaluated.

Results

GLP-1 RA induced highly significant (p < 0.001) decrease in BMI and in fat thickness at all the assessed sites, without differences between exenatide and liraglutide treatment. A slight decrease in RI (p = 0.055) was also found. The percent changes of fat thickness was different between sites (p < 0.025), and the changes in subcutaneous deposits showed no significant correlation (p = 0.064) with those of deep fat deposits.

Conclusions

A short course of treatment with GLP-1 RA, besides weight loss, induces a redistribution of adipose tissue deposits, possibly contributing to a better cardiovascular risk profile in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

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Conflict of interest

No potential conflicts of interest relevant to this article were reported.

Ethical standard

The protocol was approved by the Ethical Committee of Policlinico Umberto I Hospital, Sapienza University of Rome.

Human and animal rights disclosure

All procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2008 (5).

Informed consent disclosure

Informed consent was obtained from all patients for being included in the study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Experimental Medicine, Policlinico Umberto I, “Sapienza” University of Rome, Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161, Rome, Italy

    Susanna Morano, Elisabetta Romagnoli, Tiziana Filardi, Elisabetta Mandosi, Mara Fallarino, Irene Turinese & Andrea Lenzi

  2. Faculty of Economics, NINT University, Rome, Italy

    Luciano Nieddu

  3. Units of Geriatrics, “Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza” Hospital I.R.C.C.S., San Giovanni Rotondo, FG, Italy

    Mariangela Pia Dagostino

  4. Unit of Internal Medicine, “Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza” Hospital I.R.C.C.S., San Giovanni Rotondo, FG, Italy

    Vincenzo Carnevale

Authors
  1. Susanna Morano
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  2. Elisabetta Romagnoli
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  3. Tiziana Filardi
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  4. Luciano Nieddu
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  6. Mara Fallarino
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  7. Irene Turinese
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  8. Mariangela Pia Dagostino
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  9. Andrea Lenzi
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  10. Vincenzo Carnevale
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Susanna Morano.

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Morano, S., Romagnoli, E., Filardi, T. et al. Short-term effects of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists on fat distribution in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: an ultrasonography study. Acta Diabetol 52, 727–732 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00592-014-0710-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00592-014-0710-z

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