Effect of once-weekly subcutaneous semaglutide on abdominal visceral fat area in Japanese adults with overweight and obesity: A post hoc analysis of the STEP 6 trial

Apr 7, 2025Obesity research & clinical practice

Once-weekly semaglutide reduces belly fat in Japanese adults with overweight and obesity

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Abstract

Mean visceral fat area (VFA) among 180 participants was 170.0 cm².

A positive correlation was found between baseline VFA and body weight (r = 0.415), BMI (r = 0.374), and waist circumference according to both the JASSO (r = 0.458) and WHO criteria (r = 0.555).
Changes in VFA correlated with changes in body weight, waist circumference, cholesterol levels, triglycerides, and liver enzymes in at least one treatment group.
Both doses of semaglutide (2.4 mg and 1.7 mg) reduced VFA compared to placebo across all subgroups.
The study indicates that VFA is associated with various clinical parameters in Japanese adults with obesity disease.

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OBJECTIVE: A post hoc analysis of a subset of participants with visceral fat area (VFA) measurements in the STEP 6 trial was conducted to examine both the correlation between VFA and clinical parameters and the effect of semaglutide on VFA in key subgroups.

METHODS: Participants were Japanese adults aged ≥ 20 years with obesity disease, randomized to once-weekly subcutaneous semaglutide 2.4 mg, semaglutide 1.7 mg, or placebo, plus lifestyle recommendations, for 68 weeks. Correlation between baseline VFA (and change in VFA from baseline to week 68) and clinical parameters (body weight, body mass index [BMI], waist circumference, hepatic parameters, glycated hemoglobin, blood pressure, lipids, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 [PAI-1]) was evaluated. Percentage change in VFA between semaglutide and placebo was compared across subgroups.

RESULTS: Among 180 participants (semaglutide 2.4 mg, n = 89; semaglutide 1.7 mg, n = 46; placebo, n = 45), mean VFA was 170.0 cmacross subgroups. A positive correlation (Pearson's correlation coefficient [r] ≥0.3) was observed between baseline VFA and body weight (r = 0.415), BMI (r = 0.374), and both JASSO and WHO criterion waist circumference (r = 0.458 and r = 0.555). Correlation between changes in VFA and body weight, waist circumference, high-density and very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, PAI-1, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine transaminase were observed in ≥ 1 treatment arm. Semaglutide 2.4 mg and 1.7 mg reduced VFA compared with placebo in all subgroups. 2

CONCLUSIONS: VFA partially correlated with clinical parameters in Japanese adults with obesity disease. Subcutaneous semaglutide was an efficacious treatment option for the reduction of VFA, regardless of clinical characteristics.

TRIAL REGISTRY NAME: CT.gov TRIAL REGISTRATION IDENTIFICATION NUMBER: NCT03811574.

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Effect of once-weekly subcutaneous semaglutide on abdominal visceral fat area in Japanese adults with overweight and obesity: A post hoc analysis of the STEP 6 trial

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