(HealthDay)—Compared to placebo, pioglitazone is associated with significantly lower blood leptin levels in patients with type 2 diabetes, according to a meta-analysis published online Dec. 1 in the Journal of Diabetes Investigation.
Satoshi Ida, from Ise Red Cross Hospital in Japan, and colleagues conducted a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the effects of pioglitazone on blood leptin levels in patients with type 2 diabetes. Ten RCTs met eligibility criteria and were included.
The researchers found that the pioglitazone group had significantly lower blood leptin levels compared to the placebo group (standardized mean difference, −0.58; 95 percent confidence interval, −1.12 to −0.05 percent; P = 0.02). There were no significant blood leptin differences between the pioglitazone and oral antidiabetic drug groups (standardized mean difference, −0.01; 95 percent confidence interval, −0.2 to 0.19 percent; P = 0.93). The authors noted that relatively few RCTs were included in the study and that there was a high level of statistical heterogeneity, which could have affected the results.
"The present study had many limitations, warranting caution for the interpretation of its results and the extrapolation of the findings to other populations," the authors write. "Considering the limitations, we believe that further studies are necessary."
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