Weight-Loss Drugs More Effective With Lifestyle Change

New research confirms what many clinicians long have suspected—weight-loss drugs work better when taken as part of a comprehensive strategy that includes physical activity, a sensible diet, and healthful lifestyle changes.

In the November 17, 2005, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania psychologist Thomas W. Wadden, PhD, and colleagues presented a randomized trial comparing weight-loss drug therapy alone and in combination with lifestyle modification.¹

COMBINATION THERAPY RESULTS IN GREATER WEIGHT LOSS THAN DRUGS ALONE.

The study included 224 obese adults, 18–65 years of age. The 180 women and 44 men had a body mass index (BMI) of 30–45. None of the participants had diabetes, disease of the heart and blood vessels, or other major medical problems.

Participants were randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups. Fifty-five people took 15 mg of sibutramine (Meridia, Abbott) daily; 55 people attended weekly group meetings that focused on diet, exercise, and healthful lifestyle changes; 60 people took sibutramine and attended weekly group meetings; and 54 people took sibutramine and had brief counseling from primary care doctors.

Over a 1-year period, participants who received the combination of medication and group meetings lost more weight than those who had drug or lifestyle changes alone.

Those receiving combination therapy lost an average 12.1 kg (27 lb), while those treated with drug therapy alone lost an average 5 kg (11 lb), and those who had weekly lifestyle group meetings lost an average 6.7 kg (15 lb). People who took sibutramine and had brief therapy lost an average 7.5 kg (16.5 lb).

“Our findings strongly suggest that the best weight-loss results will be obtained when medication is used as an adjunct to a comprehensive program of diet, exercise, and behavior therapy,” researchers conclude. ▪