Outcomes of empagliflozin in nondiabetic fatty liver patients: A randomized controlled trial
Abstract
Objectives Metabolic fatty liver disease is a common disease with numerous health risks. Life modification remains the primary treatment. Previous studies have shown that the sodium‒glucose cotransporter has a positive effect on improving fatty liver in individuals with diabetes mellitus, but it has not been extensively studied in nondiabetic patients with fatty liver. The aim of this study was to assess the immediate effects of empagliflozin in treating nondiabetic metabolic fatty liver disease. Methods We conducted a prospective parallel-group open-label study on fifty-five nondiabetic metabolic fatty liver patients. Patients were randomly assigned to two groups: twenty-two patients received lifestyle advice alone (L-arm), and thirty-three patients received lifestyle advice plus empagliflozin 10 mg daily (LE-arm). After 6 months, non-invasive elastography (fibro-scan) was used to check for changes in hepatic steatosis and fibrosis. Body mass index, waist circumference, arterial blood pressure, glycated haemoglobin, and lipid profiles were also used to measure metabolic outcomes. Results The LE-arm showed a mean CAP reduction of 38 dB/m compared to 8 dB/m in the L-arm (p = 0.001). Moreover, there was a slight improvement in liver fibrosis, as well as improvements in metabolic measures such as blood pressure (p value 0.034), waist circumference (p value 0.01), and weight reduction (2.5 kg vs. 1 kg, p value 0.022). Conclusion Along with lifestyle changes, empagliflozin may…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a randomized trial, done in people. Its evidence level is 2 of 5 (High · randomized trial). Randomized trials of a reasonable size are the strongest single-study design.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Strategy for Mitigating DKA Risk in Patients with Type 1 Diabetes on Adjunctive Treatment with SGLT Inhibitors: A STICH Protocol
- Glucoraphanin: a broccoli sprout extract that ameliorates obesity-induced inflammation and insulin resistance
- SGLT2 Inhibitors in Heart Failure: Targeted Metabolomics and Energetic Metabolism
- Mechanisms of blood pressure reduction with sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors
- Sodium-glucose cotransporter inhibitors: beyond glycaemic control
- Decoding the effects of SGLT2 inhibitors on cardiac arrhythmias in heart failure
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.