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[Effects of antidiabetic medications on metabolic-associated fatty liver disease].

Rev Med Suisse · 2023

Last updated 2026-05-28

A review of diabetes medications found that GLP-1 drugs like liraglutide and semaglutide may help reduce liver fat and improve blood sugar control in people with obesity and type 2 diabetes. Other drugs, such as gliflozins, also lowered liver fat markers, while pioglitazone showed benefits but with unclear safety. However, more research is needed to compare these treatments and confirm their effects on liver inflammation and scarring.

AI summary of the abstract below.

JournalRev Med Suisse, 2023
Citations1
Relative citation ratio0.10
NIH percentile8
Molecules
Conditions studied Type 2 Diabetes, Mash

Abstract

Metabolic-Associated Fatty Liver Disease (MAFLD) is a prevalent metabolic complication among patients with obesity and type 2 diabetes, associated with bad prognosis. Classical antidiabetics have little effects on this complication, except pioglitazone that exerts a positive impact but with uncertain safety. Gliptins are almost neutral, whereas glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists showed benefits, the most potent ones being those associated with a greater weight loss such as liraglutide or semaglutide. Gliflozins also reduce hepatic fat content and liver enzymes used as biomarkers of steatosis. However, histological data remain scarce, especially those focusing on inflammation and fibrosis, and direct comparative data between available therapies are still lacking.

Verbatim abstract via PubMed 37610193 ↗