Table 3. Intra-Group Comparisons of Mean Body Weight, Laboratory Parameters and Liver fat ContentDuring the Study Period.

Treatment groups	Baseline vs. 2 months, P value	Baseline vs. 4 months, P value	2 months vs. 4 months, P value
Body Weight, kg
Pioglitazone	0.42	0.04	< 0.01
Metformin	< 0.01	< 0.01	< 0.01
Aspartate Aminotransferase, U/L
Pioglitazone	< 0.01	< 0.01	0.32
Metformin	0.67	< 0.01	< 0.01
Alanine Aminotransferase, U/L
Pioglitazone	< 0.01	< 0.01	< 0.01
Metformin	0.31	< 0.01	< 0.01
Alkaline Phosphatase, U/L
Pioglitazone	< 0.01	< 0.01	0.84
Metformin	0.09	< 0.01	< 0.01
Triglyceride, mg/dl
Pioglitazone	0.75	0.77	0.94
Metformin	0.26	0.70	0.13
Cholesterol, mg/dl
Pioglitazone	0.26	< 0.01	0.01
Metformin	0.26	< 0.01	< 0.01
Low Density Lipoprotein, mg/dl
Pioglitazone	0.05	< 0.01	0.17
Metformin	0.69	< 0.01	0.10
High Density Lipoprotein, mg/dl
Pioglitazone	0.27	< 0.01	< 0.01
Metformin	0.01	< 0.01	0.01
Fasting Plasma Glucose, mg/dl
Pioglitazone	< 0.01	< 0.01	0.63
Metformin	< 0.01	< 0.01	0.26
HOMA-IRa
Pioglitazone		< 0.01
Metformin		< 0.01
Liver Fat Content, %
Pioglitazone		< 0.01
Metformin		< 0.01

^aAbbreviations: HOMA-IR: homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance