Research
Hormonal
Pharmacological administration of FGF21 improves insulin sensitivity, reduces hepatic triglycerides, and causes weight loss in obese rodents and primates.
Injecting FGF21 in obese animals improves insulin sensitivity, lowers liver fat, and reduces weight by increasing energy expenditure, even without eating less. This suggests a potential therapeutic avenue for metabolic disease.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
In this and subsequent studies done in genetic and diet-induced models of obesity, it was shown that FGF21 administration decreased hepatic triglycerides, decreased plasma triglycerides and glucose levels, and caused weight loss by increasing energy expenditure and reducing fat mass without decreasing food intake.
Why this rating
Consistent findings across multiple obese animal models and non-human primates.
Source
Endocrine fibroblast growth factors 15/19 and 21: from feast to famine
Matthew J. Potthoff et al. · Genes & Development · 2012
DOI 10.1101/gad.184788.111
narrative_reviewCited 431×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- FGF15/19 acts as an endocrine hormone to repress hepatic gluconeogenesis and stimulate glycogen synthesis, functioning as a post-prandial signal that complements insulin.Good
- FGF21 is induced by fasting and acts as a glucagon-like hormone to promote ketogenesis, gluconeogenesis, and fatty acid oxidation during starvation.Good
Related findings · Hormonal
- Initial treatment for type 2 diabetes should be a combination of metformin and either an SGLT-2 inhibitor or a GLP-1 receptor agonist to achieve cardiorenal protection, rather than monotherapy or older agents like sulfonylureas.Strong
- For patients with specific monogenic obesity syndromes (leptin deficiency, POMC/PCSK1/LEPR mutations), targeted pharmacotherapy (recombinant leptin or setmelanotide) is highly effective and should be prioritized, unlike in polygenic obesity.Strong
- Continued weekly administration of 2.4 mg subcutaneous semaglutide prevents weight regain and promotes further weight loss in adults with overweight or obesity, whereas switching to placebo results in significant weight regain.Strong
This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →