Improvement in binge eating in non-diabetic obese individuals after 3 months of treatment with liraglutide – A pilot study

SummaryWe examined the effects of liraglutide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 analogue on appetite and plasma ghrelin in non-diabetic obese participants with subclinical binge eating (BE). Forty-four obese BE participants (mean age: 34 ± 9 years, BMI: 35.9 ± 4.2 kg/m2) were randomly assigned to intervention or control groups for 12 weeks. All participants received standard advice for diet and exercise. Binge eating score, ghrelin levels and other anthropometric variables were evaluated at baseline and at the end of the study. Participants who received liraglutide showed significant improvement in binge eating, accompanied by reduction in body weight, BMI, waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, fasting glucose and total cholesterol. Ghrelin levels were significantly increased which may potentially diminish the weight loss effects of liraglutide beyond the intervention.