Doctors in Perth, Autralia will start testing a new weight-loss pill in
the hope it will not only help them lose weight but also cut their
chance of heart diseases by increasing levels of good cholesterol or
HDL.
Royal Perth Hospital test, as part of an international test, could
prove the weight-loss drug named Zimulti, developed by the French
drugmaker Aventis, can cure the condition known as metabolic syndrome,
a particularly high risk form of obesity which implicates problems
controlling cholesterol, insulin and blood pressure.
Gerald Watts, RPH professor of medicine, who specialises in metabolic
disturbances, said the pill is expected to be okayed in Australia
within a year and the hospital aimed to enlist 15 to 20 patients as
part of the 80 being studied worldwide.
The drugs that have been available until now have had toxic results and
some work but have no long-term safety data, so this is a new approach
to the controlling of obesity.
The pill works by stopping chemical processes in the brain, which
results in loss craving and also acts on the liver to help the body
melt more fat, but side-effects can include nausea and diarrhea.
Were curious in the mechanics of how this pill functions and the role
it could play in obese people who have many danger ingredients for
heart disease, one of which is low HDL cholesterol, or metabolic
syndrome, he said.
Professor Watts said the bottom line is to help people lose weight,
which in turn cuts their chance of other conditions such as diabetes.
It means that people end up eating less and burning more fat so its a
very potent tool for targeting obesity, but more than that its also an
potent tool for curing smoking and even alcohol abuse, he said.
Royal Perth Hospital is enroling men and women aged between 35 and 65
who are overweight or obese with a waist perimeter of more than
40inches in men and 35inches in women and have high triglycerides with
low HDL cholesterol. They will be put on a diet to lose 5 per cent of
their body weight and some will be selected to continue on the Zimulti
test.
In test that have been made, the benefits that have been seen in terms
of increasing HDL cholesterol could not be excused by the loss of
weight alone, so it clearly has a direct effect on the HDL cholesterol.
Julie Carter researches health & nutrition topics. She recommends. Visit her new website Zimulti - Health
