Effect of Phentermine on Hepatic Steatosis in Bariatric Surgery: A Pilot Study
Open accessAbstract
Objective: Hepatic steatosis is associated with increased surgical complications in bariatric surgery patients. We aimed to evaluate the effect of phentermine in reducing hepatic steatosis, adipose tissue, and surgical complications in patients undergoing bariatric surgery. Methods: This was a two-arm, double-blind, randomized, controlled pilot trial of 64 adult subjects with BMI >35 kg/m 2 selected for bariatric surgery randomized into phentermine group (15 mg once daily) or placebo group for 8 weeks. Both groups adhered to a hypocaloric diet (500 calories/day) and an individualized exercise program. The primary endpoint was reducing the frequency of hepatic steatosis measured by ultrasound and reducing adipose tissue through fat mass in total kilograms or percentage. Key secondary points were the prevalence of surgical complications. Baseline and final biochemical parameters and blood pressure too were assessments. Results: In the phentermine group, the frequency of hepatic steatosis decreased by 19%, and the percentage of patients with a normal ultrasound increased from 9% to 28% (p = 0.05). Likewise, the decrease in fat mass in kilograms was more significant in the phentermine group (56.1 kg vs. 51.8 kg, p = 0.02). A significant reduction in the HOMA-IR index was observed regardless of weight loss. No differences in surgical complications were observed between groups. Phentermine was well-tolerated; no differences were observed in the frequency of adverse events between the groups. Conclusions: Phentermine decreased the proportion of individuals with hepatic steatosis by 19% and promoted a more significant fat mass loss in kilograms among candidates for bariatric surgery.
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Phentermine results in 32-80% of patients losing at least 5% over 3 months.
“32-80% of patients lose at least 5% over 3 months 29 33 -37”
From Effectiveness and safety of drugs for obesity (2024) · cites this paper as [35]
The Results (Effect of the Intervention; page unavailable) report that 32.3% of phentermine-treated participants lost more than 3% of their weight. The study assessed an eight-week intervention, not three months, and the cited passage does not establish that 32–80% lost at least 5%. (LLM, conf=0.84)
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- Authors
- Pérez-Cruz, E., Guevara-Cruz, M., Ortiz-Gutiérrez, S., Luna-Camacho, Y., Guzmán-Aguilar, R., Briceño-Sáenz, G., González-Salazar, L., & Flores-López, A.
- Affiliations
- Hospital Juárez de México (MX)
- Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán (MX)
- Venue
- Medical Principles and Practice
- Publisher
- S. Karger AG
- Published
- 2022
- Volume
- 31
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 254-261
- ISSN
- 1011-7571 (ISSN-L)
- 1423-0151
- PMC
- PMC9275005
- OpenAlex
- W4229056505
- Cited by
- 9
- References
- 28
- Citations by year
- 2025: 3 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 1
- FWCI
- 1.91
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- diamond
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Medical Principles and Practice (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Surgery › Bariatric Surgery and Outcomes
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Pharmacology and Obesity Treatment
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Liver Disease Diagnosis and Treatment
- Keywords
- phentermine, hepatic steatosis, bariatric surgery, fat loss, surgical complications, HOMA-IR, insulin resistance, obesity, hypocaloric diet, physical activity, weight loss
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Diet, Reducing, Humans, Obesity, Phentermine, Pilot Projects, Bariatric Surgery
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