Body composition
Was it fat that came off, or everything?
Weight is not fat. This is the subset of trials that actually measured what the lost weight was made of, which is a much smaller set than the weight-loss trials.
2,019
people in trials
19
human studies
8
compounds, animal or cell only
9
trials found nothing
Measured in people
Ranked by how many people, which is a fact about the evidence and not a judgement about the compound. The one at the top is the most studied, which is not the same as the best. Counts are never added across compounds, because the same person can appear in more than one trial.
- 1,370 people3 human studies1 found nothing
found nothing806 patients pooled across both Phase 3 trials. Visceral fat fell 24 square centimetres at week 26 against a 2 square centimetre rise on placebo, a treatment effect of minus 15.4 percent, with no change in subcutaneous fat. The largest dataset on either component of this blend, and it is tesamorelin monotherapy.
Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 2010 · 806 people
412 patients with HIV and abdominal fat accumulation. Twenty-six weeks of tesamorelin at 2 mg daily reduced visceral adipose tissue by 15.2 percent against a 5.0 percent increase on placebo, with lower triglycerides. This is tesamorelin alone at 2 mg. No ipamorelin was given, and 2 mg daily is the dose the approval rests on.
New England Journal of Medicine, 2007 · 412 people
152 adults aged 55 to 87, of whom 66 had mild cognitive impairment. Twenty weeks of tesamorelin at 1 mg daily had a favourable effect on cognition, P equal to 0.03, concentrated in executive function, and raised IGF-1 by 117 percent within the physiological range. Note the dose: 1 mg, which is half the dose that produced the visceral fat result, and this trial did not measure visceral fat.
Archives of Neurology, 2012 · 152 people
What people using it report
- Visible loss of abdominal fat over two to three months, which is the effect people buy this blend for and which tesamorelin alone does have trial data behind.
- 412 people1 human study
412 patients with HIV and abdominal fat accumulation: 26 weeks of tesamorelin 2 mg daily reduced visceral adipose tissue 15.2% versus a 5.0% increase on placebo, with lower triglycerides.
New England Journal of Medicine, 2007 · 412 people
What people using it report
- The most consistent thing people report, and the one that matches the trials most closely, is that this moves visceral abdominal fat and does not move subcutaneous fat or total weight. Experienced posters state that plainly and correct newcomers who expect weight loss from it, several of them pointing out that the trials themselves report no subcutaneous fat loss.
- Some users describe it as worth using specifically for stubborn abdominal fat that has not responded to a calorie deficit, and frame that as a narrow use rather than a general one.
- 84 people2 human studies1 found nothing
60 hypopituitary adults on GH for a mean of 10 years were crossed over to four months of placebo. IGF-1 fell from 168 to 98 micrograms per litre, two quality-of-life domains deteriorated, waist circumference and visceral fat rose, and lipids and C-reactive protein worsened, while insulin sensitivity improved.
Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 2012 · 60 people
found nothingSix months of rhGH in 24 GH-deficient adults raised lean mass by 5.5 kg and cut fat mass by 5.7 kg versus placebo, with no change in body weight.
New England Journal of Medicine, 1989 · 24 people
- 53 people2 human studies1 found nothing
30 men with BMI at or above 26, randomised double-blind to 250 mg of a 10 percent forskolin extract twice daily or placebo for 12 weeks. Body fat percentage and fat mass on DXA fell significantly against placebo, bone mass changed significantly, serum free testosterone rose significantly, and lean body mass showed a non-significant trend upward (p equals 0.097). Fifteen participants per arm.
Obesity Research, 2005 · 30 people
found nothing23 women randomised double-blind to 250 mg of a 10 percent Coleus forskohlii extract twice daily (n equals 7) or placebo (n equals 12) for 12 weeks. No significant differences in fat mass, fat-free mass or body fat percentage. Non-significant trends toward mitigating gains in body mass (p equals 0.10) and scanned mass (p equals 0.08). Treated participants reported less hunger and fullness. No clinically significant changes in blood lipids, liver or muscle enzymes, thyroid hormones, insulin, heart rate or blood pressure. The authors concluded it does not appear to promote weight loss but may help mitigate weight gain.
Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2005 · 23 people
- 50 people1 human study
The entire published obesity efficacy record: 50 participants across five dose cohorts and placebo, mean baseline weight 92.9 kg. Mean weight reduction was 7.16 percent against 0.86 percent on placebo, and 82.5 percent of treated participants lost at least 5 percent against none on placebo. Fat mass fell 4.47 kg and lean mass also fell 2.00 kg. This is a 50 person dose-ranging study, not an obesity efficacy trial, and the compound is not approved for weight management.
Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, 2026 · 50 people
- 20 people1 human study1 found nothing
found nothing20 obese adults, mean age 48 and BMI 37, randomised to 1,750 mg a day of TUDCA or placebo for 4 weeks, with two-stage hyperinsulinaemic-euglycaemic clamps, tracer infusions and muscle and adipose biopsies. Hepatic and muscle insulin sensitivity rose approximately 30 percent (p < 0.05) with no change on placebo, and muscle insulin signalling improved. Markers of endoplasmic reticulum stress in muscle and adipose tissue did not change after either treatment, despite that being the hypothesised mechanism. NIH funded.
Diabetes, 2010 · 20 people
- 16 people1 human study1 found nothing
found nothing16 healthy men, mean age 29, randomised to eight weeks of resistance training alone (n equals 7) or with ursolic acid (n equals 9), one capsule three times daily. Body fat percentage fell significantly in the supplemented group (p less than 0.001) while body weight, body mass index, lean body mass, glucose and insulin were unchanged. IGF-1 and irisin rose from baseline in the supplemented group, as did several maximal extension and flexion measures.
Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology, 2014 · 16 people
- 11 people1 human study1 found nothing
found nothingThe first randomised controlled trial. 11 healthy men aged 18 to 40, two 2-week cycles of oral clenbuterol at 80 micrograms a day versus placebo with a 3-week washout. Lean mass +0.91 kg (95% CI 0.02 to 1.81, p < 0.05), no effect on fat mass, maximal oxygen uptake -7% (p < 0.001), exercise capacity -4% (p < 0.001), no change in left ventricular mass, blood volume or haemoglobin mass. Muscle protein content rose while 3-hydroxyacyl CoA dehydrogenase activity and OXPHOS complex V fell. The beta-2 signalling response declined across the 2 weeks.
The Journal of Physiology, 2025 · 11 people
- 3 people1 human study
Three children with congenital leptin deficiency treated with daily subcutaneous recombinant human leptin for up to 4 years: sustained reductions in appetite, fat mass, hyperinsulinaemia and hyperlipidaemia, rapid rise in thyroid hormones, appropriately timed puberty, and reversal of reduced CD4 T cell numbers and impaired T cell function. Non-US government funded.
Journal of Clinical Investigation, 2002 · 3 people
- no headcount stated2 human studies2 found nothing
found nothingThe direct contradiction of the trial above. Twenty-four obese but otherwise healthy men, parallel-group, four weeks of high-dose resveratrol. Insulin sensitivity by hyperinsulinaemic euglycaemic clamp, the primary outcome, deteriorated insignificantly in both arms. No effect on blood pressure, resting energy expenditure, lipid oxidation, ectopic or visceral fat, or inflammatory and metabolic biomarkers. The authors say the result raises doubt about resveratrol as a supplement in metabolic disorders.
Diabetes, 2013 · no headcount in the line
found nothingTwenty overweight or obese men with NAFLD, 3,000 mg daily for eight weeks. No improvement in insulin resistance, steatosis, abdominal fat distribution, plasma lipids or antioxidant activity, and no change in NQO1, PTP1B, IL6 or HO1 transcription. ALT and AST rose significantly versus placebo through week 6, which the authors read as increased hepatic stress. A 2016 trial of 1.5 g daily for six months with paired biopsies also found no histological improvement, while a 2014 trial of 500 mg for 12 weeks alongside lifestyle advice did report improved inflammatory markers.
Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, 2014 · no headcount in the line
- no headcount stated1 human study
Triple regimen preserved 80.9% of lean mass with 27.3% more fat loss.
Regeneron press release, 2025 · no headcount in the line
- no headcount stated1 human study
Receptor-level blockade rather than myostatin-only blockade, so it neutralises activin A too. At 48 weeks fat mass fell 20.5% (7.5 kg) against 0.5% on placebo, lean mass rose 3.6% (1.7 kg), waist fell 9.0 cm and HbA1c fell 0.76 points, all p < 0.006.
JAMA Network Open, 2021 · no headcount in the line
- no headcount stated1 human study
First-in-human in Chinese men with overweight or obesity. Single ascending dose 12 to 120 mg, n = 36, randomised 3:1 active to placebo, plus multiple ascending dose n = 12 escalating 15 to 60 mg. Well tolerated with predominantly mild to moderate gastrointestinal adverse events. Dose-proportional exposure from 12 to 90 mg with a total-drug half-life of 899.74 to 1099.01 hours. Maximum early weight change at day 7 on 90 mg was minus 4.71% against minus 0.41% on placebo, sustained up to 133 days. In the multiple-dose part the 60 mg group reached minus 2.57% at day 25 with a significant fall in waist circumference (p = 0.0446). Fasting glucose, triglycerides and uric acid fell and insulin and C-peptide rose.
Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, 2026 · no headcount in the line
- no headcount stated1 human study1 found nothing
found nothingRandomised 2:1, 30 overweight or obese adults aged 45 and over, MIB-626 two 500 mg tablets twice daily for 28 days. Body weight fell 1.9 kg (95 percent CI -3.3 to -0.5, P=.008), diastolic blood pressure fell 7.01 mmHg (-13.44 to -0.59, P=.034), total cholesterol fell 26.89 mg/dL (P=.004) and LDL fell 18.73 mg/dL (P=.007). Muscle strength, muscle fatigability, aerobic capacity and stair-climbing power did not change. Insulin sensitivity, hepatic fat and intra-abdominal fat did not change in either group. Metro International Biotech, the manufacturer, is a listed funder. This is a physiologic study with multiple outcomes rather than a trial powered on one of them.
Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 2023 · no headcount in the line
Measured in animals or cells, not yet in people
These are separated from the trials above rather than ranked against them, because they answer a different question. A result in a rat is a real result and a reason somebody ran the study; it is not a measurement of what happens in you. Where the human work is missing, the reason is usually money rather than failure, and that is set out at the bottom of this page.
- 2 preclinical studies
Measured in animals or cells
The C-terminal 177-191 domain of hGH mimicked GH's lipolytic actions on adipose tissue and reduced weight gain in obese rats without insulin resistance.
30 days of oral hGH fragment (AOD-9401) lowered weight gain in ob/ob mice without changing food intake and increased lipolysis in obese rodent and human adipose tissue ex vivo.
American Journal of Physiology: Endocrinology and Metabolism, 2000 · animal
- 1 preclinical study
Measured in animals or cells
Peripheral ghrelin increased food intake and body fat in rodents, establishing its role in energy balance.
Nature, 2000 · animal
- 1 preclinical study
Measured in animals or cells
Small-molecule NNMT inhibitors (the 5-amino-1MQ series) reduced body weight and fat mass in diet-induced obese mice.
Biochemical Pharmacology, 2018 · animal
- 1 preclinical study
Measured in animals or cells
Weight loss confined to adipose tissue.
Obesity, 2010 · animal
- 1 preclinical study
Measured in animals or cells
Mouse, and the most important comparison for this page. A single exchange of half the plasma volume for saline containing 5 percent albumin, with no young plasma added at all, met or exceeded the effects of young blood on muscle repair, liver adiposity and fibrosis, and hippocampal neurogenesis. If dilution alone can reproduce the effect, the case that a young plasma fraction contains a specific rejuvenating agent becomes harder to make.
Aging (Albany NY), 2020 · animal
- 1 preclinical study
Measured in animals or cells
Mouse. A single exchange of half the plasma volume for saline with 5 percent albumin, adding nothing from a young animal, met or exceeded the effects of heterochronic blood sharing on muscle repair, liver adiposity and fibrosis, and hippocampal neurogenesis in old mice. Comparative proteomics on mouse and human exchanged serum showed a resetting of systemic signalling, with some proteins elevated rather than reduced. NIH funded with non-US government support.
Aging (Albany NY), 2020 · animal
- 1 preclinical study
Measured in animals or cells
Diet-induced obese mice. Treated animals showed lower body weight, fat mass and plasma lipids, improved insulin sensitivity in white adipose tissue, and changes in the content and composition of glycerolipids, glycerophospholipids and sphingolipids alongside altered expression of lipid metabolism genes. A mouse mechanism study; none of these lipidomic endpoints has been measured in a human trial of this drug.
iScience, 2021 · animal
- 1 preclinical study
Measured in animals or cells
Synthesis and first characterisation. NMNH raised NAD to a much higher extent and faster than NMN or NR in mammalian cells, through an NRK-independent and NAMPT-independent pathway. It reduced damage and accelerated repair in renal tubular epithelial cells after hypoxia and reoxygenation injury. In mice, administration caused a rapid and sustained NAD surge in whole blood, with increases in liver, kidney, muscle, brain, brown adipose tissue and heart, but not in white adipose tissue.
FASEB Journal, 2021 · animal
What people using these actually report
Uncontrolled self-reports, gathered from clinic write-ups, regulatory complaint records and public forums, and reproduced here as written. They are the best guide on this page to what people actually do, what they expect, and what goes wrong, and they cannot show that anything works, because nobody was measured against a placebo and the people who saw no effect mostly stopped posting. Both halves of that are true at once. The negative reports are kept in for the same reason.
- Visible loss of abdominal fat over two to three months, which is the effect people buy this blend for and which tesamorelin alone does have trial data behind.
Sources: Fluid retention, arthralgia and glucose effects appear in the tesamorelin Phase 3 safety data and its FDA labelling, which is trial-derived. The sleep reports, the timelines and the abdominal fat impressions are from clinic write-ups and peptide user forums and are not from any trial of the blend. The 2026 Sports Medicine and Frontiers in Endocrinology reviews both flag the placebo effect as a real contributor to what users report on unapproved peptides.
- The most consistent thing people report, and the one that matches the trials most closely, is that this moves visceral abdominal fat and does not move subcutaneous fat or total weight. Experienced posters state that plainly and correct newcomers who expect weight loss from it, several of them pointing out that the trials themselves report no subcutaneous fat loss.
- Some users describe it as worth using specifically for stubborn abdominal fat that has not responded to a calorie deficit, and frame that as a narrow use rather than a general one.
Sources: Public discussion in r/Peptides, r/PeptideForum, r/Peptidesource, r/trt and weight loss subreddits, read through the PullPush Reddit archive on 2026-09-13 because Reddit's own endpoints are unreachable from this environment. 90 comments reviewed. Nothing above is attributed to any specific post and no comment is reproduced.
- What people report wanting from it is recovery, sleep and body recomposition rather than weight loss, and experienced users repeatedly tell newcomers that it will not produce fat loss and that a GLP-1 drug is what does that.
Sources: Public discussion in r/Peptides, r/Peptidesource, r/PeptideForum and r/Retatrutide, read through the PullPush Reddit archive on 2026-09-13 because Reddit's own endpoints are unreachable from this environment. 88 comments reviewed. Nothing above is attributed to any specific post and no comment is reproduced.
- Reduced appetite and slow fat loss, credited to the NNMT inhibitor.
Sources: Forums including r/peptides and r/nootropics, and vendor product pages. Entirely uncontrolled self-report from people taking unverified material, usually while also training.
Why the trial record looks like this
A missing trial is usually a missing sponsor. Nobody runs a nine-figure programme on a molecule they cannot own, so the compounds with the thinnest human records are often the oldest and most freely available ones rather than the weakest. Taking E5 Plasma Fraction as the example, because it states the problem most clearly:
One paper, one laboratory, one species, no replication. That is the whole record, and it is stated here plainly because the headline number, more than halving epigenetic age in three organs, is the kind of figure that travels a long way from its source. The paper is well constructed on its own terms: the authors built and validated the rat clocks first, which is more care than most animal epigenetic ageing work takes, and they report functional measures alongside the clocks rather than clocks alone.
The comparison that matters is the mouse plasma dilution work published in Aging in 2020, which found that exchanging half the plasma volume for saline plus albumin, adding nothing young at all, matched the effects attributed to young blood. If that is right, a young plasma fraction may be working by removing old plasma rather than by supplying anything. No experiment has been run that separates those explanations for E5 specifically.
No company programme for this product is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov. Where a research doc or a press account describes a human programme, the registry is the check, and the registry is empty.
A compound appears here only when a citation on its own page states this outcome and reports a result for it; naming it is not enough. Human, animal and cell work are counted separately and never merged. Participant counts are read from the study lines and deliberately undercount. Nothing here is advice, and nothing here is a recommendation to take or to avoid anything.