[Chronotherapy of obesity. I. Effect of fenfluramine on the decrease of adipose mass in the obese, in relation to the time of administration]

In order to evaluate if a weight-reducing drug,-fenfluramine-(F.), administrated in different times of a day, provokes different rates of body weight reduction, it has been given in a group of obese patients according to 3 protocols: in the morning as a single dose of 80 mg. (Pr. M.); in the afternoon as a single dose of 80 mg. (Pr. A); and three times a day, at 08.00, 13.00 and 20.00 (Pr. T.T.). The administration of a single dose in the morning for 4 weeks provokes a higher decrease of body weight compared with the administration of the drug in the afternoon or three times a day for an equivalent period of time, (p less than 0.01; p less than 0,05). In addition the decrease in body weight appears significantly correlated with the decrease of adipose mass, obtained according to Hume and Weyers formulae. These preliminary results suggest to study the eating behaviour in order to observe if fenfluramine, which is known to affect the eating behaviour, changes its efficacy according to the time of administration and consequently its activity on body weight and adipose mass.