Treatment of obesity: comparison of physician and nonphysician therapists using placebo and anorectic drugs in a double-blind trial.

In a randomized double-blind trial, 60 obese patients were assigned in groups of 12 to five therapists. The patients for each therapist were then randomly assigned in groups of four to placebo or one of two preparations of mazindol. Ninety-three percent of the patients completed the nine weeks of treatment. Weight loss averaged 1.1 lb per week and there was no advantage to pharmacological agents over placebo. However, there were significant differences between therapists. Weight loss by the patients assigned to physicians was no better than for those assigned to nonphysician personnel, but there were significant differences between individual nonphysician personnel. These findings support the concept that nonphysician personnel may be effective in treating many obese patients. In addition, we could not find a significant effect of either form of mazindol when compared to placebo.