The effect of mazindol on metabolic and regulatory changes in obese women during weight reduction

The effect of mazindol (1 mg/day) on some metabolic and regulatory values was investigated in ten adult obese women and compared with the same number of controls during weight reduction in hospital (a five-times repeated cycle of 5 days complete starvation and 3 days on a 500 kcal(2.1MJ/day diet.) Mazindol caused a rise of hydroxyacyl CoA dehydrogenase in striated muscle by 70 per cent and a marked decline in malic dehydrogenase. Mazindol also produced higher levels of non-esterified fatty acids--significantly higher during the fifth starvation period; a small decrease in blood glucose, IRI and glucose/IRI ratio being unaffected, a significantly two-fold greater decrease of serum cholesterol; a significant increase of the noradrenaline elimination compared with a decrease in controls and in increase in triiodothyronine binding globulin towards the upper range of normal.