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Pragmatic study of orlistat 60 mg on abdominal obesity

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 65, pages 1256–1262 (2011)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Background/Objectives:

It is well established that combining a reduced calorie, low-fat diet with the lipase inhibitor orlistat results in significantly greater weight loss than placebo plus diet. This weight loss is accompanied by changes in adipose tissue (AT) distribution. As 60 mg orlistat is now available as an over-the-counter medication, the primary objective of this study was to determine whether 60 mg orlistat is effective as a weight loss option in a free-living community population with minimal professional input.

Methods:

AT and ectopic lipid content were measured using magnetic resonance imaging and 1H MR spectroscopy, respectively, in 27 subjects following 3 months treatment with orlistat 60 mg and a reduced calorie, low-fat diet.

Results:

Significant reductions in intra-abdominal AT (−10.6%, P=0.023), subcutaneous (−11.7% P<0.0001) and pericardial fat (−9.8%, P=0.034) volumes and intrahepatocellular lipids (−43.3%, P=0.0003) were observed. These changes in body fat content and distribution were accompanied by improvements in plasma lipids and decreases in blood pressure and heart rate.

Conclusion:

These findings suggest that over-the-counter 60 mg orlistat, in combination with the type of advice a subject could expect to be given when obtaining 60 mg orlistat in a community setting, does indeed result in potentially clinically beneficial changes in body composition and risk factors for metabolic diseases.

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Acknowledgements

This study was funded by GlaxoSmithKline, manufacturer of alli. ELT and JDB also acknowledge funding from the UK MRC and NIHR Biomedical Research Centre.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Metabolic and Molecular Imaging Group, MRC Clinical Sciences Centre, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK

    E L Thomas & J D Bell

  2. GlaxoSmithKline Clinical Imaging Centre, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK

    A Makwana, R Newbould, A W Rao, G Gambarota, P M Matthews & J D Beaver

  3. Nutrition and Dietetics Research Group, Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College London, London, UK

    G Frost

  4. GlaxoSmithKline Discovery Biometrics, London, UK

    B Delafont

  5. GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare, Parsippany, NJ, USA

    R G Mishra, E S Berk & S M Schwartz

  6. Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Imperial College, London, UK

    P M Matthews

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  1. E L Thomas
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  2. A Makwana
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  3. R Newbould
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  4. A W Rao
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  12. J D Bell
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to E L Thomas.

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Competing interests

AM, RN, AWR, GG, BD, PMM, ESB, RGM, SMS and JD Beaver are employees of GSK. JD Bell and GF have received consultancy fees from GSK. ELT declares no conflict of interest.

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Thomas, E., Makwana, A., Newbould, R. et al. Pragmatic study of orlistat 60 mg on abdominal obesity. Eur J Clin Nutr 65, 1256–1262 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2011.108

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2011.108

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