Effects of liraglutide on abdominal fat distribution and glucose metabolism in Chinese subjects with obesity.

AIMS: To observe the effects of liraglutide on abdominal fat distribution in Chinese subjects with obesity in 12 weeks, and further to explore the correlation between abdominal fat content and glucose metabolism after monotherapy. METHODS: This study recruited 71 obese subjects. All the subjects have received liraglutide monotherapy (0.6 mg-1.8 mg/d) for 12 weeks. Clinical assessment, laboratory assays and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination were accessed at baseline and after 12 weeks treatment. MRI was applied to measure abdominal fat distribution, calculated by proton-density fat fraction (PDFF). RESULTS: After 12 weeks of liraglutide monotherapy, body weight in the obese participants decreased significantly (P < 0.001). Fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels, 2 h post-load blood glucose (2hPBG) levels, and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) were remarkably improved after liraglutide monotherapy (all P < 0.001). Subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) were significantly reduced after liraglutide monotheraphy (both P < 0.001). There was a notable reduction in liver fat content (LFC) after liraglutide monotherapy (P < 0.001). In the further analysis, LFC was greater in obese subjects with impaired glucose regulation (IGR) at baseline compared to those with normal glucose tolerance (NGT) (P = 0.002). The LFC reduction in IGR group was significantly greater than those in NGT group after liraglutide treatment (P < 0.001). Pearson correlation analysis showed that reduction of LFC was significantly correlated with improvement of FBG (r = 0.587, P < 0.001) and HbA1c (r = 0.607, P < 0.001) in obese patients. CONCLUSION: LFC was significantly reduced after liraglutide monotherapy for 12 weeks in subjects with obesity. The LFC reduction is likely to be associated with IGR remission in obese subjects.