Patients with higher levels of intra-abdominal visceral fat are less likely to achieve improvements from biologic treatments for inflammatory bowel disease, a US study shows.

Those with higher visceral adiposity also had lower levels of the biologic medications in their bloodstream than those with lower abdominal fat, according to doctors from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Co-author Associate Professor Andres Yarur said a different type of medication may be more effective in patients with high intra-abdominal visceral fat.

“In our study, we found that the patients with higher amounts of internal abdominal fat were less likely to improve and experience remission from their disease,” the gastroenterologist said.