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Lipid profile improved with GH treatment in obese adults

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A new meta-analysis indicated the safety and efficacy of recombinant human growth hormone therapy in obese adults.

Researchers used Cochrane, EMBASE, Medline and other databases to identify published results that indicated the effects of recombinant human GH as obesity therapy.

The meta-analysis revealed that obese patients assigned to recombinant human GH experienced significant changes in body composition, such as decreases in fat mass (–0.9 kg), percent body fat (–1%), visceral adipose area (–22.8 cm²) and increases in lean body mass (1.8 kg).

Lipid profile also improved with administration of recombinant human GH, with significant decreases in total cholesterol (–7 mg/dL) and LDL (–9 mg/dL).

Further, obese patients experienced increases in fasting plasma glucose (3 mg/dL) and insulin (1.9 mcU/mL); however, improvements in insulin were only observed in short-term studies.

The most commonly reported adverse events were arthralgia, paresthesia and peripheral edema.

“As the recombinant human GH doses used in many studies were supraphysiologic, future studies of longer duration, using carefully titrated recombinant human GH protocols, will be needed in order to fully establish the effects of recombinant human GH therapy in obesity, including effects on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality,” the researchers wrote. – by Katie Kalvaitis

J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2008;doi:10.1210/jc.2008-1357.

These data are not surprising and are very much what has been shown in other studies. The most important finding that needs emphasis is that GH in general does not cause weight loss, and losses in fat mass usually end up with comparable increases in lean mass. The most provocative finding was some degree of weight loss in younger individuals (median age, 38 years). It was not a huge amount but I think it is interesting. It will be important to direct studies specifically toward the potential interaction between GH and body composition to see if there is a real effect. On the other hand, I do not think that GH is likely to be an effective weight loss treatment alone.

– Andrew R. Hoffman, MD

Professor of Medicine, Endocrinology/Gerontology/Metabolism, Stanford University