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ABSTRACT
Obex is a dietary supplement to help weight loss. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of Obex in overweight/obese participants with or without impaired fasting glucose. This was an open-label pilot study conducted with 40 overweight and obese subjects, 23–60 years old with a body mass index of 25–44 kg/m2 (20 participants with impaired fasting glucose [IFG] and 20 with normal glucose levels). Participants received Obex at a dose of one sachet before the two main meals of each day for 3 months. In addition to anthropometric measures and blood pressure (BP), fasting plasma glucose, lipid profile, insulin, creatinine, and uric acid were determined. Insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and beta-cell function (HOMA-B) were assessed. Three indirect indices were used to calculate insulin sensitivity. Compared to baseline, Obex significantly reduced body weight, body mass index, waist circumference, waist/hip ratio, and waist/height ratio in both groups of participants (p <.05). In individuals without IFG, Obex improved HDL-c (high-density lipoprotein cholesterol) (p <.0001) and lowered BP (p <.05). After 3 months of Obex, subjects with IFG showed a reduction in fasting glucose concentrations (p <.0001). Compared to baseline, this group also showed improved insulin sensitivity and HDL-c (p <.05). In conclusion, the consumption of Obex contributed to weight reduction, improved glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity, as well as HDL-c, and appears to be safe in overweight/obese adults with impaired fasting glucose. Obex may be beneficial for weight loss, indicating that further studies are required.
Acknowledgments
The authors thank Richard Kahn and Arturo Hernández Yero for their helpful comments.
Declaration of interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.
Funding
The authors thank the laboratories of Catalysis, S.L. (Madrid, Spain) for funding this research.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Eduardo Cabrera-Rode
Eduardo Cabrera-Rode, PhD, is currently affiliated with the Department of Immunology, National Institute of Endocrinology, Havana, Cuba and is head of the Department of Immunology of Endocrine Diseases and head of the Diabetes Research Group. His research interests are in prevention of diabetes and obesity, immunology of diabetes, and obesity. He has experience in the prediction and prevention of obesity, type 1 and type 2 diabetes. He has contributed considerably to the viral etiology of type 1 diabetes.
Janet Rodríguez
Janet Rodríguez, BSc, is currently affiliated with the Department of Immunology, National Institute of Endocrinology, Havana, Cuba. Her research interests are in clinical laboratory on diabetes and obesity. She has her experience in the use of clinical markers in diabetes and obesity.
Aimee Álvarez
Aimee Álvarez, MSc, is currently affiliated with the Department of Diabetes, National Institute of Endocrinology, Havana, Cuba. Her research interests are in insulin secretion and beta cell function. She has extensive experience in the genetics of type 2 diabetes, as well as in the function of beta cells.
Ragmila Echevarría
Ragmila Echevarría, BSc, is currently affiliated with the Biochemical Laboratory, National Institute of Endocrinology, Havana, Cuba. Her research interests are in lipids metabolism. She has experience in the analysis of lipid metabolism and metabolic syndrome biomarkers.
Antonio Darwin Reyes
Antonio Darwin Reyes, BSc, is currently affiliated with the Department of Diabetes, National Institute of Endocrinology, Havana, Cuba. His research interests are in insulin homeostasis. He has experience in the development of techniques for insulin determination and the pancreatic beta cell function.
Ileana Cubas-Dueñas
Ileana Cubas-Dueñas, MD, is currently affiliated with the Department of Immunology, National Institute of Endocrinology, Havana, Cuba. Her research interests are in immunology of diabetes and obesity. She works in the area of diabetes immunology and has recently been involved in the study of the microbial etiology of diabetes and obesity.
Silvia Elena Turcios-Tristá
Silvia Elena Turcios-Tristá, MD, is currently affiliated with the Endocrinology Service, National Institute of Endocrinology, Havana, Cuba. Her research interests are in thyroid diseases and obesity. She is head of the Endocrinology Service and the Research Group on Thyroid Diseases and has a great knowledge on the clinical management of obesity and other endocrine diseases.
Oscar Díaz-Díaz
Oscar Díaz-Díaz, MD, is currently affiliated with the Diabetes Care Center, National Institute of Endocrinology, Havana, Cuba. He is the head of the National Endocrinology Group in Cuba. His research interests are in epidemiology of diabetes and obesity. He has extensive experience in epidemiological studies and the active screening of prediabetes and diabetes in urban and rural populations.