Evidence mapPaperPMID 40847412Full record

ArticleTrials2025

Effect of tirzepatide-induced weight loss on adipose tissue in obesity: rationale and design of the randomized placebo-controlled Tirzepatide Brown and Beige Adipose Tissue Activation (TABFAT) trial.

Rok Herman, Mojca Jensterle, Simon Horvat, Luka Lezaic, Ziga Snoj, Igor Pusnik, Katja Goricar, Andrej Cör, Luka Pusnik, Vid Mlacnik and 2 more

Registry-linked trialAbstract readClinical Trial Protocol
In one paragraph

Article in Trials, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It reports registered trial NCT06893211. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT06893211 phase2completed

Effect of Tirzepatide-Induced Weight Loss on Adipose Tissue in Obesity

Ran2025Enrolled34Registered outcomes6Posted comparisons0ConditionsObesityArmsPlacebo, Tirzepatide
Open the trial in the graph
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Rok HermanDepartment for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Ljubljana, 1000, Slovenia. rokherman2@gmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6053-5686
Mojca JensterleDepartment for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Ljubljana, 1000, Slovenia.
Simon HorvatDepartment of Animal Science, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, 1000, Slovenia.
Luka LezaicDepartment of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, 1000, Slovenia.
Ziga SnojDepartment of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, 1000, Slovenia.
Igor PusnikFaculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, 1000, Slovenia.
Katja GoricarPharmacogenetics Laboratory, Institute of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, 1000, Slovenia.
Andrej CörValdoltra Orthopaedic Hospital, Ankaran, 6280, Slovenia.
Luka PusnikDepartment of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, 1000, Slovenia.
Vid MlacnikFaculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, 1000, Slovenia.
Lara HanzelicFaculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, 1000, Slovenia.
Andrej JanezDepartment for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Ljubljana, 1000, Slovenia.

Funding

Javna Agencija za Raziskovalno Dejavnost RS P3-0298University medical centre Ljubljana 20240168
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundObesity is a complex disease marked by excessive, dysfunctional adipose tissue accumulation. Recent research underscores the pivotal role of brown adipose tissue (BAT) in metabolic health and its potential as a therapeutic target for obesity management. Emerging preclinical and clinical evidence suggests that second-generation anti-obesity drugs, especially dual agonists such as tirzepatide, may enhance BAT activity. Additionally, beige adipose tissue, derived from white adipose tissue (WAT), may contribute significantly to whole-body thermogenesis, yet its role remains underexplored.

methodsThis investigator-initiated, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial aims to evaluate the effects of tirzepatide on BAT activity and WAT browning in premenopausal women with obesity. Thirty-four participants will be randomized 1:1 to receive either tirzepatide or a placebo for 24 weeks. Primary outcomes include changes in BAT volume and activity, assessed using 18F-FDG-PET/CT, MRI, and infrared thermography, as well as the induction of WAT browning, evaluated through changes in mRNA expression patterns and histomorphometric alterations in subcutaneous adipose tissue samples. Secondary outcomes will involve the assessment of whole-body composition, resting energy expenditure, and various metabolic health markers, correlated with thermogenic adipose tissue changes. Comparative analysis of BAT assessment methods will refine protocols for research and clinical use. DISCUSSION: This study is the first to systematically explore the potential of pharmacological obesity management to enhance BAT activity and induce WAT browning. Results may establish thermogenic adipose tissue augmentation as a novel mechanism of action for second-generation anti-obesity medications.

trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT06893211. Registered on 2025 March 25.

Indexed as

Adipose Tissue, BeigeAdipose Tissue, BrownAnti-Obesity AgentsObesityWeight LossAdipose Tissue, WhiteAdultEnergy MetabolismFemaleHumansMiddle AgedPositron Emission Tomography Computed TomographyPremenopauseRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicThermogenesisTirzepatideAnti-Obesity AgentsTirzepatideBeige adipose tissueBrown adipose tissueObesityTirzepatide

Identifiers

PMID40847412
PMCPMC12374325

What Socratic holds

Texttitle and abstract
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.