Objective: To explore the effects of the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor analogue liraglutide on subclinical atherosclerosis in diabetic subjects with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
Research design and methods: In this 8-month prospective study, 29 subjects with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and NAFLD (16 men and 13 women, mean age: 61 ± 10 years) were matched for age and gender with 29 subjects with T2DM without NAFLD (16 men and 13 women, mean age: 61 ± 8 years). Liraglutide 0.6 mg/day for 2 weeks, followed by 1.2 mg/day, was given in addition to metformin.
Main outcome measures: Anthropometric variables, glucometabolic parameters and carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) using B-mode real-time ultrasound were assessed at baseline and 4 and 8 months.
Results: Glycated hemoglobin reduced significantly in both groups. No significant changes were found in body weight, waist circumference and lipids. Carotid IMT decreased significantly in the T2DM patients with NAFLD (from 0.96 ± 0.27 to 0.82 ± 0.17 to 0.85 ± 0.12 mm, p = 0.0325), but not in the T2DM patients without NAFLD (from 0.91 ± 0.23 to 0.88 ± 0.17 to 0.85 ± 0.15 mm, p = 0.4473).
Conclusion: Eight months of liraglutide use in patients with T2DM and NAFLD significantly reduced carotid IMT, a surrogate marker of atherosclerosis, independently of glucometabolic changes.
Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01715428.
Keywords: carotid intima-media thickness; liraglutide; non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; type 2 diabetes.