Orlistat

Orlistat is a medication for weight management that inhibits gastrointestinal lipases, reducing absorption of dietary fat. It acts mainly within the digestive tract and is minimally absorbed into the bloodstream.

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Gastric lipase: An enzyme in the stomach that breaks dietary triglycerides into absorbable fatty acids and other products. Orlistat inhibits this enzyme, limiting the first stage of dietary fat digestion.
Obesity: A chronic disease characterized by excess adiposity that can impair health and increase medical risk. Orlistat is used as an adjunct to lifestyle changes for weight management in people with obesity.
Semaglutide: A glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist used to treat type 2 diabetes and, at specific doses, obesity. Unlike orlistat, it acts through hormone signaling and appetite regulation rather than blocking fat digestion.
Weight loss: A reduction in total body weight, which may result from changes in energy intake, expenditure, or nutrient absorption. Orlistat can support weight loss by reducing the calories absorbed from dietary fat.
Pancreatic lipase: An enzyme secreted by the pancreas that digests dietary triglycerides in the small intestine. Blocking this enzyme is central to orlistat's reduction of intestinal fat absorption.
Weight management: Strategies for achieving or maintaining a body weight that supports health, including nutrition, activity, and treatment. Orlistat supplements dietary and behavioral measures rather than replacing them.
Phentermine: A sympathomimetic medication prescribed short-term to reduce appetite in weight management. Its central appetite-suppressing action contrasts with orlistat's local inhibition of digestive enzymes.
Fecal fat excretion: The amount of dietary or bodily fat eliminated in stool rather than absorbed or metabolized. Orlistat increases this excretion by leaving more dietary fat undigested.
Triglyceride: A lipid molecule composed of glycerol bonded to three fatty acids; a major form of dietary fat. Orlistat prevents much of this dietary fat from being broken down for absorption.
Low-fat diet: An eating pattern that limits fat intake relative to total energy intake. Distributing dietary fat across meals can reduce orlistat-related bowel symptoms.