Effect of Tirzepatide on Brown Adipose Tissue in Obesity

What Was Tested

The trial (phase 2) is built around Tirzepatide.

These fat cells are known as brown and beige fat.

The study includes women with obesity and will last 24 weeks.

It had two arms (groups): Tirzepatide (experimental) and Placebo (placebo comparator).

The registry classes the interventions as drug.

Who Took Part

Enrollment: 34 actual participants took part.

It was open to women only aged from 20 years up to 50 years.

Healthy volunteers were not accepted; participants needed the condition being studied.

Examples of who could join: Age between 18 and 50 years. BMI between 30 kg/m² and 40 kg/m² at pre-screening. Eumenorrhea or Oligomenorrhea. Ability to comprehend the study objectives and procedures. Commitment to use highly reliable contraception and absence of plans for pregnancy within the 8 months following enrollment.

The full record lists 11 inclusion and 15 exclusion criteria; among the exclusions: pregnancy or lactation; type 2 diabetes; reliance on natural contraception methods.

How the Study Was Run

Design: randomized, parallel-group and single-blind.

Because people in this Tirzepatide study were split into groups at random, differences between the groups are less likely to reflect who happened to join each one.

The Tirzepatide group and the comparison group ran side by side rather than switching.

Only one side, usually the participants, was kept unaware of whether Tirzepatide was given.

Those kept unaware of assignments: participant.

It started in 2025-03-18 with completion listed for 2025-11-29.

It ran at 1 site in Slovenia.

Its stated primary purpose is treatment.

What Was Measured

Researchers chose this as the main measure: Change in Brown Adipose Tissue Activity and Volume (time frame: Baseline to Week 24). Change in Molecular Markers of Browning in Subcutaneous White Adipose Tissue (time frame: Baseline to Week 24).

It also tracked 4 secondary outcomes, for example Correlation Between Different BAT Assessment Methods, Change in Resting Energy Expenditure, Association Between Changes in Resting Energy Expenditure, Metabolic Health Markers, and Thermogenic Adipose Tissue and Association Between Resting Energy Expenditure, Metabolic Health Markers, and Thermogenic Adipose Tissue.

What This Means in Plain Language

Put simply, this is a phase 2, randomized trial of Tirzepatide in 34 people.

Its size is small, so on its own it can only give an early look.

The trial is marked completed; no results are posted to the registry yet, so nothing here describes outcomes.

More context: the Tirzepatide compound page, all human trials.