Actos may help fatty liver problems
Researchers in San Antonio, Texas, have discovered that Actos, a drug used by diabetics to control blood glucose and improve inulin management, may also help prevent fatty liver disease with inflammation, a condition that causes fat pockets and scarring of the liver.
The study by Audie Murphy Veterans Hospital’s General Clinical Research Center showed a reduction by half of fat and reduction of inflammation. Results were encouraging enough to publish in this week’s New England Journal of Medicine.
“We know that having a fatty liver disease is something that may worsen your diabetes control, may worsen your lipids, and maybe may damage your liver,” said Dr. Kenneth Cuis, an endocrinologist at the center.
I’m glad something good is coming from Actos, because I have to be honest. I was on Actos briefly when I was first diagnosed back in February, while we figured out exactly what my best drug regimen was going to be, and while it might have helped keep my liver from being fatty, it was busy turning the rest of me into Robba the Hutt. I got off that stuff in a hurry.
(via My San Antonio)
1 opinion for Actos may help fatty liver problems
Dr Gerry H Tan
Jan 9, 2007 at 6:08 am
Am happy that you included this study in your blog. I am a believer of this class of drug whether it be Actos or Avandia since they both target the root cause of diabetes which is insulin resistance state. Recently in Denmark Last Sept and in South Africa in December… in both conventions I was a witness to the release of 2 landmark studies called the DREAM and ADOPT which showed that using rosiglitazone as a therapy for prediabetes… one can really delay the progression of the disease significantly suggesting that if one delays the onset of complications before one dies…then we are indeed preventing the disease ( see my post: Can Diabetes Be Prevented?http://healthwealth.wordpress.com/2006/12/11/can-diabetes-be-prevented/). Now with the Actos finding it is really expected since in the DREAM study Avandia also was able to reduce SGPT during the course of treatment and a decrease in liver fat content. Suggesting that both drugs are really a class on their own with specific roles of targeting the cause of the illness.
As advocates of educating the public… I salute you for taking time to educate our patients on their disease. As it has always been my thrust to use my website(www.healthwealth.wordpress.com) in propagating health as a commitment and not a choice!
Have an opinion? Leave a comment: