Obese men and women greatly reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by taking the weight loss drug Xenical® (orlistat) in addition to dieting, according to a study presented June 14 at the annual meeting of the American Diabetes Association.

"These results show that Xenical plus diet helps to reduce the onset of diabetes, a serious and expensive complication of obesity, in high-risk patients," said Dr. Ralph DeFronzo, chief of the diabetes division at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. "An effective and safe drug that helps to prevent or delay the disease is of real value to the millions of overweight people at risk for diabetes."

The study also found that fewer people with impaired glucose tolerance and metabolic syndrome developed type 2 diabetes when treated with Xenical in addition to dieting, compared with those who were given a placebo.

Impaired glucose tolerance occurs when the blood glucose level is higher than normal, but not high enough to be classified as diabetes. Metabolic syndrome describes a cluster of three or more cardiovascular risk factors.

Specifically, people with impaired glucose tolerance reduced their risk of contracting diabetes by 45 percent while those with metabolic syndrome cut their risk by 36 percent compared to the group of dieters receiving the placebo.

Other sources: University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio