Does Weight Loss Drug Slow Heart Disease?
(Ivanhoe Newswire) — A fatty mid-section can be a red flag for metabolic syndrome — a group of metabolic risk factors that puts a person at increased risk for coronary heart disease and plaque build-up in artery walls. Abdominal obesity amplifies the risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease — the hardening of the arteries that happens when deposits of plaque accumulate in the inner lining of the arteries. But a recent study comparing the use of the weight loss drug, rimonabant (Acomplia) with placebo in patients with coronary artery disease found mixed results. The Cleveland Clinic study included 839 patients at 112 centers in North America, Europe and Australia. The patients either received rimonabant or a placebo for 18 to 20 months. The patients were assessed at three, six, 12 and 18 months. Researchers focused on two different measurements of plaque build up in an artery: PAV — percent atheroma volume — and TAV — total atheroma volume. Researchers report PAV increased
