Abstract

Background: naltrexone (N) with bupropion (B) causes weight loss, but the effect on the markers of insulin resistance is not known. Methods: A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial randomized 285 healthy obese subjects to B 200 mg bid, placebo (P), N 48 mg/d (N1), or B with naltrexone 32 mg qd (BN2) for 24 weeks as part of a dose ranging study. A subset of 60 subjects had DEXA and Multislice CT to measure body fat, lean tissue and visceral fat. Results: Markers of insulin resistance improved more with BN2 than expected from the weight loss, and visceral fat decreased (see table mean +/- SE) Conclusions: BN2 improves markers of insulin resistance more than expected by weight loss