Acarbose treatment in obesity: a controlled study

Acarbose is an alpha-glucosidase inhibitor which reversibly inhibits oligosaccharidase and disaccharidase at the brush border of the small intestine. The aim of this study was to observe its effectiveness in the treatment of obesity.

Two groups of 25 obese women were put on a 15 kcal/kg/day low-calorie diet for 12 weeks. One group (the study group) received 150 mg/day acarbose for the first 2 weeks and 300 mg/day acarbose for the remaining 10 weeks. The second group (controls) received no additional treatment. Body weight, BMI, skinfold thickness, serum lipids, OGTT, and insulin and C-peptide responses to OGTT were assessed before and after the study.

Body weight, BMI and skinfold thickness decreased significantly in both groups. Basal insulin and triglyceride levels in the study group, total and LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the control group decreased significantly. No difference was found between the two groups when these decrements were compared, but the triglyceride level fell more in the control group.

Additional acarbose therapy is not more beneficial than low-calorie diet therapy alone.