Research

Mixed

Orlistat (120 mg three times daily) combined with a reduced-calorie diet produces significantly greater weight loss and improvements in glycemic control (HbA1c) and cardiovascular risk factors compared to diet and placebo alone in overweight or obese patients with insulin-treated type 2 diabetes.

If you have type 2 diabetes and take insulin, adding Orlistat (120mg with meals) to a calorie-controlled diet can help you lose more weight and improve your blood sugar control compared to diet alone. This often allows for a reduction in your insulin dose. Be prepared for potential gastrointestinal side effects, which are usually mild, and ensure you follow the low-fat diet guidelines to minimize them.

WeakSupportsVERY_HIGH confidence
Orlistat therapy produces clinically significant weight loss, with improvements in glycemic control and cardiovascular disease risk factors, in overweight or obese patients with type 2 diabetes who have suboptimal metabolic control with insulin therapy.
David E. Kelley et al. · Diabetes Care · 2002

Why this rating

Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled multicenter trial with a large sample size (n=550) and statistically significant results.

Source

Clinical Efficacy of Orlistat Therapy in Overweight and Obese Patients With Insulin-Treated Type 2 Diabetes

David E. Kelley et al. · Diabetes Care · 2002

DOI 10.2337/diacare.25.6.1033

rct · n=550Cited 312×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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