The effect of liraglutide therapy on body weight and carbohydrate metabolism and lipid profile in obese children

Introduction . The analogue of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), liraglutide, has been shown to be effective in reducing body weight. Its effect on lipid and carbohydrate metabolism is still being studied. Aim . To assess the dynamics of body weight, carbohydrate metabolism and lipid profile in obese children using liraglutide. Materials and methods . A single-center, prospective study was conducted to evaluate the use of liraglutide in children aged 12 to 18 years with constitutional exogenous obesity over a period of 12 months. The decrease in body weight, the standard deviation of the body mass index (SDS BMI) and the dynamics of laboratory parameters (glucose, insulin, lipid profile) were evaluated. Results. A decrease in SDS BMI by 0.25 or more was noted in 23 children (71.8%, group 1). Weight loss in group 1 patients was observed from 1 to 8 months of therapy. In group 1 patients, there was a significant decrease in glucose values from 5.0 ± 0.4 to 4.6 ± 0.5 mmol/l (p < 0.0001), fasting insulin from 13.0 ± 7.6 to 8.3 ± 5.7 mMU/l (p = 0.004), HOMA-IR insulin resistance index from 3.4 ± 2.0 to 1.9 ± 1.5 (p = 0.0008). In group 2 patients, who did not experience weight loss, there was a significant reduction in serum cholesterol levels from 4.4 ± 0.8 mmol/l to 3.3 ± 1.6 mmol/l (p = 0.02) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels from 2.1 ± 0.6 mmol/l to 1.7 ± 0.6 mmol/l (p = 0.014). Discussion. In our study, as in previous studies, there was no effect of gender, age, and degree of obesity on the effectiveness of treatment. The obtained significant changes in carbohydrate metabolism and lipid profile in obese children after liraglutide therapy had not been previously observed. Conclusions . In the group of children who did not lose body weight, there was an improvement in lipid metabolism, which requires an additional assessment of the effect of GPP-1 agonists on metabolism. More research is needed to identify factors that affect the effectiveness of liraglutide treatment.