Exenatide improves type 2 diabetes concomitant with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Objective: To investigate the effects of exenatide on blood glucose, body weight and hepatic enzymes in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and concomitant non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Subjects and methods: One hundred and seventeen patients with T2DM and NAFLD were randomly divided into exenatide group and metformin group. Patients were treated with exenatide and metformin, respectively, for 12 weeks. Results: After 12 weeks of treatment, body weight, body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio, HbA1c, FPG, 2-h PPG, ALT, AST, gamma-GT, and hs-CRP were significantly reduced, and the AST/ALT ratio and adiponectin were markedly increased in both groups. BMI, waist-to-hip ratio, 2-h PPG, ALT, AST, gamma-GT, and hs-CRP were markedly lower, and AST/ALT ratio and adiponectin in the exenatide group were dramatically higher than in the metformin group. Conclusion: Compared with metformin, exenatide is better to control blood glucose, reduces body weight and improves hepatic enzymes, attenuating NAFLD in patients with T2DM concomitant with NAFLD.