Comparative effects of liraglutide 3 mg vs structured lifestyle modification on body weight, liver fat and liver function in obese patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: A pilot randomized trial

We compared the effects of weight loss induced by the glucagon-like peptide 1-agonist liraglutide with a structured lifestyle intervention in obese adults with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Obese (body mass index >= 30 kg/m(2), mean weight 96.0 +/- 16.3 kg) non-diabetic Asian adults, with NAFLD diagnosed by liver fat fraction (LFF) >= 5.5% on magnetic resonance imaging without other causes of hepatic steatosis, were randomized to a supervised program of dieting (restriction by 400 kilocalories/d) plus moderate-intensity aerobic exercise (similar to 200 min/wk; DE group, n = 12), or liraglutide at the 3 mg daily dose approved for weight loss (LI group, n = 12), for 26 weeks. Both DE and LI groups had significant (P < .01) and similar reductions in weight (-3.5 +/- 3.3 vs -3.5 +/- 2.1 kg, respectively, P = .72), LFF (-8.9 +/- 13.4 vs -7.2% +/- 7.1%, P = .70), serum alanine aminotransferase (-42 +/- 46 vs -34 +/- 27 U/L, P = .52) and aspartate aminotransferase (-23 +/- 24 vs -18 +/- 15 U/L, P = .53). In this first randomized study comparing the 2 weight-loss modalities for improving NAFLD, liraglutide was as effective as structured lifestyle modification.