Effects of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists on body weight: a
meta-analysis.
Author(s): Monami M, Dicembrini I, Marchionni N, Rotella CM, Mannucci E.
Affiliation(s): Geriatric Cardiology, Careggi Teaching Hospital and University of Florence, 50141
Florence, Italy.
Publication date & source: 2012, Exp Diabetes Res. , 2012:672658
Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs), approved as
glucose-lowering drugs for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, have also been shown
to reduce body weight. An extensive Medline, Cochrane database, and Embase search
for "exenatide," "liraglutide," "albiglutide," "semaglutide," and "lixisenatide"
was performed, collecting all randomized clinical trials on humans up to December
15, 2011, with a duration of at least 24 weeks, comparing GLP-1 receptor agonists
with either placebo or active drugs. Twenty two (7,859 patients) and 7 (2,416
patients) trials with available results on body weight at 6 and 12 months,
respectively, were included. When compared with placebo, GLP-1RAs determine a
reduction of BMI at 6 months of -1.0 [-1.3; -0.6] kg/m(2). Considering the
average BMI at baseline (32.4 kg/m(2)) these data means a weight reduction of
about 3% at 6 months. This result could seem modest from a clinical standpoint;
however, it could be affected by many factors contributing to an underestimation
of the effect of GLP-1RA on body weight, such as non adequate doses, inclusion
criteria, efficacy of GLP-1RA on reducing glycosuria, and association to
non-pharmacological interventions not specifically aimed to weight reduction.
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