Department of Clinical
Biochemistry, University of Aberdeen and Grampian
University Hospitals Trust, UK.
The potential effect of orlistat on
cardiovascular co-morbidities may have been previously
underestimated. This study assesses the efficacy of orlistat
therapy for weight loss and cardiovascular risk factor
reduction in obese patients with cardiovascular risk.
This was a 54-week, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled,
parallel group study with 531 patients being randomised.
Mean weight loss was significantly greater with orlistat
than with placebo (5.8% vs 2.3%; p<0.0001). Orlistat
was also associated with significantly greater improvements
than placebo in diastolic BP (-5.5 vs -3.1 mmHg; p<0.01),
systolic blood pressure (-6.0 vs -2.3 mmHg; p<0.01),
oral glucose tolerance test (-0.37 vs +0.09 mmol/l; p<0.05),
fasting glucose (-0.19 vs +0.06 mmol/l; p<0.05), total
cholesterol (-1.31% vs +3.78%; p<0.0001), LDL-cholesterol
(-7.09% vs -0.55%; p<0.0001) and waist circumference
(-5.99 vs -2.60 cm; p<0.0001). Orlistat was well tolerated.
Orlistat weight loss is associated with improvements
in cardiovascular co-morbidities, and hence cardiovascular
risk.
