ADDICTION DRUGS MAY BOOST WEIGHT LOSS
Baku, July 31 (AZERTAC). A combination pill of two drugs used to treat addiction may help people lose weight, say US researchers.
The Lancet reports that Naltrexone, commonly used to treat alcoholics and heroin addicts, and the anti-smoking drug bupropion led to greater weight loss than diet and exercise alone.
It is thought the treatment may help beat food cravings.
However, one UK expert said he would like to see much higher weight loss for the drug to be used in clinics.
Professor Nick Finer, an obesity expert from University College London (UCL), said the drug may prove more useful if researchers can better identify who would benefit.
In the study, 1,700 overweight and obese adults were all offered a weight-loss programme with diet and exercise advice.
Two-thirds were also given the combination treatment (in one of two doses) and a third were given a placebo, or dummy pill, to take twice a day.
Only half completed the trial, which lasted a year.
Overall those taking the treatment lost an average of 5% to 6% of their weight depending on the dose, compared with 1.3% in the placebo group.
The researchers said if only those who completed the trial were included, weight loss was 8% of body weight for those on the anti-addiction drugs.
The treatment was not without side effects which included nausea, headaches, constipation, dizziness, vomiting and a dry mouth.
