Weight loss in obese Mexican Americans treated for 1-year with orlistat and lifestyle modification

To evaluate the effectiveness of a culturally appropriate lifestyle intervention combined with orlistat in producing weight loss with obese Mexican-American women.

Mexican-American women (N=108), aged 21-65 y, with a body mass index (BMI) > or =27 kg/m(2) were randomized to 1 y of treatment with orlistat and a culturally tailored lifestyle modification intervention (OLM; n=56) or a wait-list control group (WLC; n=52).

A randomized, controlled, open-label 12-month study. Orlistat was dosed at 120 mg, three times per day. The OLM intervention included behavior modification, a low-fat (< or =30% of total daily calories) diet, and moderate physical activity (> or =150 min/week).

Primary outcomes included changes in body weight (kg), BMI, waist circumference, blood pressure, glucose, and lipids.

A total of 72 (37 OLM, 35 WLC) and 66 participants (32 OLM, 34 WLC) completed the 6- and 12-month follow-ups, respectively. Repeated-measures ANOVA demonstrated a significant time x treatment interaction (Wilks' lambda=12.61; P<0.001), indicating that OLM-treated patients achieved significant weight loss relative to the WLC group during the study (mean percentage weight loss+/-s.e.m.; -8.1%+/-1.2 vs -1.6%+/-0.7 at 6 months and -8.8%+/-1.5 vs -0.2%+/-1.0 at 12 months, respectively). OLM-treated patients also experienced significant reductions in waist circumference, low-density-lipoprotein, and total cholesterol.

This study demonstrates the effectiveness of an intervention combining orlistat and lifestyle modification with Mexican-American women, a population with substantial risk for obesity.