| Xenical may boost insulin in diabetics
By David Douglas
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - As well as decreasing insulin resistance
by inducing weight loss in overweight people with Type 2 diabetes,
the weight-loss drug Xenical may prompt a helpful increase in a
hormone that triggers insulin production after a meal, Turkish researchers
report.
Dr. Taner Damci and colleagues at Istanbul University note in the
medical journal Diabetes Care that Xenical -- otherwise known as
orlistat -- decreases fat absorption from the intestines. This may
lead to secretion of hormones that stimulate insulin secretion,
such as one called glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1).
To investigate, the researchers conducted a crossover study of
29 subjects with Type 2 diabetes. After an overnight fast, they
were given orlistat or a placebo followed by a standard meal with
a 38 percent fat content.
Compared to placebo, orlistat caused a significantly enhanced increase
in GLP-1 and blunted the usual after-meal rise in blood glucose
levels and triglycerides.
Thus, Damci told Reuters Health, "apart from induction of
weight loss, orlistat may help blood glucose control in obese Type 2 diabetic patients through enhancement of insulin secretion response
to meals by increasing gut hormone GLP-1."
The researchers conclude that further trials are needed to confirm
these findings and to determine whether any such benefits can be
maintained over an extended period of time.
SOURCE: Diabetes Care, May 2004.
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