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June 2008
Gut Check
Deep belly fat (visceral adipose tissue, accumulated through aging or as a side effect of HIV meds) can be annoyingly durable. Now an experimental drug offers hope of shrinking the stuff. In a study of more than 400 positive people, daily injections of tesamorelin (it prompts the pituitary gland to produce human growth hormone) reduced belly fat. The shots also offered some heart benefits: Tesamorelin takers ended up with more healthful levels of triglycerides and cholesterol and blood sugar. (Side effects included joint pain, headaches and injection-site reactions.) Tesamorelin could be approved by mid 2009—a relief to those who’ve been waiting for approval of another belly-fat reducer, Serostim. The FDA wants more data before approving Serostim for this use.
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