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Abdominal obesity is associated with blunted GH secretion and a cluster of cardiovascular risk factors that characterize the metabolic syndrome. GH treatment in abdominally obese men reduces visceral adipose tissue and has beneficial effects on the metabolic profile. There are no long-term data on the effects of GH treatment on postmenopausal women with abdominal obesity.

Forty postmenopausal women with abdominal obesity participated in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 12-month trial with GH (0.67 mg/d). The primary aim was to study the effect of GH treatment on insulin sensitivity.

Measurements of glucose disposal rate (GDR) using a euglycemic, hyperinsulinemic glucose clamp; abdominal fat, hepatic fat content, and thigh muscle area using computed tomography; and total body fat and fat-free mass derived from ⁴⁰K measurements were performed at baseline and at 6 and 12 …