Sibutramine reduces food intake in non-dieting women with obesity

Sibutramine (SIB), an inhibitor of serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake, has been shown in clinical trials to be associated with a dose-related decrease in bodyweight. This double-blind, placebo-controlled, Latin square crossover study examined whether the effect on bodyweight could be due in part to a reduction in daily food intake. Twelve non-dieting, women with obesity (body mass index of 30.5 to 41.9) received three treatments (0 [matching placebo], 10, or 30 mg SIB/day) for 14 days, with 14-day washout periods in between. On days 7 and 14, participants came to the laboratory to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner so that daily energy and macronutrient intakes and ratings of hunger and satiety could be measured. Significant reductions occurred in food intake (both grams and energy) over the 14-day study period. On day 7, SIB 30 reduced intake significantly by 1762 kJ (23% reduction from placebo), and on day 14, both SIB 10 and SIB 30 significantly reduced intake compared with placebo (SIB 10, 19% reduction [1490 kJ]; SIB 30, 26% reduction [2079 kJ]). On day 7, the percentage of energy consumed from carbohydrate increased significantly with the 30-mg dose (56.7%) compared with that of placebo (51.4%), with a reciprocal decrease in energy from fat (27.8% to 24%). The results show that SIB reduced energy intake in women with obesity who were not attempting to lose weight.