Treatment of obesity and metabolic-associated fatty liver disease with a diet or orlistat: A randomized controlled trial.

4 Large controlled trial

How much this weighs: one controlled trial in people, large enough to mean something.

Type of study: controlled trial
Studied in: people
Participants: 118
Published: 2023 in The American journal of clinical nutrition
Cited: 25 times by other research
Who paid: Not declared. PubMed carries no conflict-of-interest statement for most articles; that is not the same as independent.
Source: PubMed 36781126 · doi 10.1016/j.ajcnut.2023.02.008

The plain-language write-up of this study is still being written. Below is the abstract exactly as the researchers published it.

Abstract by the researchers — original text

BACKGROUND: Losing weight by lifestyle interventions is the first-line treatment for metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) but is limited by low compliance. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to compare the effects of orlistat or an experimental high-protein/lower-carbohydrate diet with a control diet in Asian patients with obesity and MAFLD. METHODS: A total of 118 Asian patients with obesity and MAFLD confirmed with MRI-based proton density fat fraction with Dixon sequence were enrolled and allocated to the control group, the orlistat group, or the experimental diet group for 24 wk. The primary endpoint was the relative change in liver fat content (LFC) assessed by MRI-based proton density fat fraction. RESULTS: A total of 118 subjects with obesity and MAFLD were randomly assigned to the control group (n = 39), the orlistat group (n = 40), or the experimental diet group (n = 39). All 3 groups demonstrated improvement in liver steatosis at wk 24. The absolute decrease in LFC in the orlistat group was 9.1% and 5.4% in the experimental diet group, both significantly higher than that in the control group (P < 0.05). The relative reduction in LFC was 30.2% in the experimental diet group, which was significantly higher than the 12.2% observed in the control group (P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Orlistat and the experimental diet group reduced liver steatosis compared to the control group. This trial was registered at Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR-1900027172). http://www.chictr.org.cn.