Can You Lose Belly Fat Better With Rimonabant?
The new drug rimonabant is awaiting FDA approval and it’s drawing lots of attention from the public and scientists. The drug is sold in Europe under the name Acomplia, but will likely have a different name when sold in the U.S. Rimonabant works by blocking receptors in the brain that increase appetite. A recent review of four studies –- involving more than 6,600 overweight or obese adults — found promising results. Those people taking high doses — 20 milligrams daily — had “modest weight loss” of about 5% of their body weight over one or two years’ time. That’s about 11 more pounds than those taking the placebo. The study volunteers lost belly fat, too. Those who took 20 milligrams of rimonabant lost 1.5 inches; those taking 5 milligrams lost one-half inch. The higher-dose group also had improved blood pressure and cholesterol, compared to those taking the lower dose. In another study, researchers found that 20 milligrams of rimonabant resulted in 10.5 pounds more weight loss than
