Medication Orlistat, Coupled with Weight-Loss Techniques, Appear Improving Weight Management for Obese Adolescents

What is critical to determine is whether the weight loss achieved by those treated with orlistat is sustainable over time.Weight Loss and Obesity

When combined with diet, exercise and behavioral therapy, orlistat, a drug that decreases fat absorption, appears helpful for improving weight management in obese adolescents, compared with placebo, according to an article in the June 15 issue of JAMA.

Excess weight in adolescents is associated with increased risk of hyperlipidemia and type 2 diabetes, and its prevalence is increasing worldwide, according to background information in the article. In the United States, the proportion of adolescents with a body mass index (BMI) at or above the 95th percentile for age, a widely accepted definition of obesity in adolescents, has increased 15.5 percent to 23.4 percent in certain ethnic minorities. Overweight children are at a 15-fold greater risk of becoming overweight adults compared to children and adolescents not overweight. Pediatric obesity can be particularly difficult to treat, with long-term success depending on the type of therapy used. Orlistat is a gastrointestinal tract lipase (an enzyme) inhibitor which decreases intestinal fat absorption by up to 30 percent; in adults, the drug has a good safety profile and is generally well tolerated.

Jean-Pierre Chanoine, M.D., Ph.D., from the British Columbia Children's Hospital, Vancouver, and colleagues examined the effectiveness and safety of orlistat for weight management in adolescents, in this 54-week, randomized, double-blind study. Participants were aged 12 to 16 years and had a BMI (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters) two units or more above the 95th percentile at baseline. Three hundred fifty-seven patients received 120 mg of orlistat three times daily and 182 participants received placebo three times daily for one year. Both groups were given instructions on how to maintain a reduced calorie diet, and received counseling for exercise and behavior modification (i.e., recording food intake, recognizing cues for overeating). The researchers also assessed the impact of orlistat treatment on waist circumference, lipid levels, blood pressure, and glucose and insulin.

The researchers found that both groups experienced a decrease in BMI up to week 12, thereafter stabilizing with orlistat but increasing beyond baseline with placebo. At the end of the study, BMI had decreased by 0.55 with orlistat, and had increased by 0.31 with placebo; weight had increased 0.53 kg. with orlistat and 3.14 kg. with placebo. At the study's end, 15.7 percent of the placebo group compared to 26.5 percent of orlistat patients had a five percent or higher decrease in BMI, and 4.5 percent of the placebo group and 13.3 percent of the orlistat group had a ten percent or higher decrease in BMI.

Waist circumference also decreased in the orlistat group by 1.33 cm (.52 inches) and increased by .12 cm (.047 inches) in the placebo group. Mild to moderate gastrointestinal tract adverse effects (such as nausea, fatty/oily stools, and abdominal pain) occurred in 9 percent to 50 percent of the orlistat group, and one percent to 13 percent of the placebo group.

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