Exenatide May Produce Weight Loss In Obese Youth

Editor's Choice
Main Category: Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness
Also Included In: Diabetes
Article Date: 27 Jun 2011 - 10:00 PDT


SAN DIEGO - The glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist exenatide decreases body mass index (BMI) and body weight and improves risk factors for diabetes in children and adolescents who are extremely obese, according to the results of a small study reported at the 71st Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association (ADA).

Aaron S. Kelly, PhD, University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, and colleagues evaluated the effects of six months of exenatide or placebo treatment on body mass index (BMI) and other cardiometabolic risk factors in 12 extremely obese girls without diabetes.

Extremely pediatric obesity, defined as a BMI ≥99th percentile, is the fastest growing obese category in youth and affects 3 to 7% of the U.S. pediatric population, Dr. Kelly noted. Extreme obesity in childhood tracks strongly into adulthood and is associated with greatly elevated risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Lifestyle modification alone is often inadequate in this age group and pharmacologic options are limited.

The investigators compared the mean change over two, three-month phases between treatments.

Compared to control, exenatide significantly reduced BMI, body weight, body fat, and fasting insulin and significantly increased high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol.

Compliance with the injection regimen was excellent and exenatide was well-tolerated.

Dr. Kelly said that the preliminary data suggest that exenatide may be an effective drug therapy for decreasing adiposity and improving cardiometabolic risk factors in extremely obese youth.

He emphasized that the findings call for further evaluation of exenatide as a weight loss therapy in the context of extreme pediatric obesity.

Written by Jill Stein
Jill Stein is a Paris-based freelance medical writer.
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

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