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September 8, 2008 11:00:43 AM CDT

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Diet Pills Make Slim Difference

Posted Nov 17, 07 11:31 AM CST in Science & Health 

(Newser) – Diet pills are big business, but Canadian researchers have found that they result in only modest weight loss. In placebo-controlled trials, patients taking anti-obesity drugs orlistat, sibutramine and rimonabant lost more weight than those taking dummy pills, but barely. And the average weight loss was 5%, which experts say is not enough to justify the use of slimming pills.

The Canadian researchers reviewed the results of 30 placebo-controlled trials, involving nearly 20,000 obese adults who took one of the three drugs for a year or longer. The drugs did lower the risks of heart disease and diabetes in some patients, but also produced negative side effects in some, including high blood pressure and psychiatric problems.

Sources BBC, Associated Press

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An overweight person eats in London . (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)   (Associated Press)
New Study Finds That U.S. Obesity Rates Continue To Climb   (Getty Images)
Obese Girl Band Performs At Fat Club Opening Ceremony   (Getty Images)
Canadian researchers found that use of anti-obesity drugs often failed to result in significant weight loss.   (Index Stock)
More than a billion people in the world are overweight - and the number is growing.   (Shutterstock)
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obesity  • blood pressure  • dieting  • diet pills  • anti obesity drugs


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