The treatment of obesity with a new liquid formula diet.

The effect of a liquid formula diet (330 kcal) was studied in 23 moderately obese male and female patients at the hospital outpatient clinic. All subjects had a Quetelet index of at least 285 at entry. The patients (60.8 per cent) who appeared to adhere to the diet for a 4-week period had a mean loss of 7.9 kg (men) and 5.2 kg (women). Over the 8 weeks of the study, nine (19.1 per cent) patients continued to attend the clinic, with further weight loss. No serious adverse effects of treatment were recorded.