Research

Micronutrients & recovery

Orlistat, a gastrointestinal lipase inhibitor, provides modest additional weight loss (4-6% of initial weight) and improves weight maintenance when used as an adjunct to lifestyle modification in patients with type 2 diabetes who fail to lose 10% of initial weight.

If you struggle to lose 10% of your weight in the first 6 months despite your best efforts, ask your doctor about Orlistat. It blocks about 30% of dietary fat absorption, providing a modest additional boost (4-6% loss). It is not a magic bullet and requires strict adherence to a low-fat diet to minimize side effects. It is only recommended if you have not achieved significant weight loss through lifestyle changes alone.

GoodQualifiesHIGH confidence
Several RCTs of patients with type 2 diabetes found, at 1 year, that orlistat plus lifestyle modification induced a loss of ≥4% to 6% of initial weight, compared with 2% to 4% for placebo plus lifestyle change (74–76).
Thomas A Wadden et al. · Obesity · 2006

Why this rating

Supported by multiple RCTs cited in the text.

Source

The Look AHEAD Study: A Description of the Lifestyle Intervention and the Evidence Supporting It

Thomas A Wadden et al. · Obesity · 2006

narrative_review · n=5145Cited 877×
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