Early human trials of an experimental injection called CBL-514 have shown the potential for reducing deadly visceral fat.
Visceral fat, which sits deep inside the abdomen wrapped around internal organs, affects metabolism and influences insulin resistance. It can impact the development of type 2 diabetes.
Research published in March by the American Heart Association found that visceral fat had a stronger association with the risk of heart failure than body mass index (BMI).
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The trials tested whether the injection could diminish visceral fat deposits. They were conducted by Dr. W. Timothy Garvey of the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Yu-Fang Ling of Caliway Biopharmaceuticals in New Taipei City, Taiwan.
Previous phase 2 trials had already shown that the drug could reduce subcutaneous fat, the layer of fat directly beneath the skin.
MRI scans from two phase 2 trials exhibited a decrease in visceral fat in participants who received the CBL-514 drug, while the visceral fat increased in those who received a placebo drug.
Participants who were given CBL-514 received injections into their lower abdomen every three weeks for up to 12 weeks, with doses of up to 600 milligrams.
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The number of injections given to participants depended on the thickness of their abdominal fat.
As the fat layer decreased in volume, the number of injections also decreased.
The CBL-514 injection selectively sparks apoptosis — a process that causes cells to self-destruct — but only in fat cells, leaving nearby cells unharmed.
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Four weeks after the final treatment, the average volume of fat had lowered by 12.01% in the group given CBL-514, while it had increased by 5.68% in the group that received a placebo, SciTechDaily reported.
The potential cosmetic effects, such as a flatter stomach due to subcutaneous fat loss, are appealing to patients, Garvey acknowledged.
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What’s even more important, he noted, however, is the decrease in body weight, improved blood pressure and cholesterol, and the loss of visceral fat that the injection can cause — as these factors impact overall health.
Liposuction, a common surgical cosmetic procedure, cannot remove visceral fat, and thus cannot reduce the health risks caused by a high amount of visceral fat.
