According to a new animal study conducted on the diet drug rimonabant or better known as Acomplia, the controversial weight loss drug can benefit consumers in one more subtle way. The novel study claims that acomplia may diminish liver damage pertaining to obesity, which even can lead to liver cirrhosis.

The study was executed by a team of researchers escorted by Mohammed Bensaid of Sanofi-Aventis. The team proposed their findings on this latest development in the July 2007 issue of Hepatology, which is an official magazine of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

Under this study revolving around the liver function among stout rats, the researchers observed and found that the diet drug lessened signs of liver damage and reduced the levels of pro-inflammatory proteins. Besides, rimonabant also improved lipid profiles.

To test healing competence of the diet drug in relation to liver damage, Acomplia was given orally to male obese rats for 8 weeks and their food intake was monitored.

And in the end of their study, researchers noticed reduced liver enlargement among obese rats in addition to absolute elimination of hepatic steatosis, and reduced blood levels of enzyme markers which show liver damage, after the intake of rimonabant.

Furthermore, the weight loss pill also robustly decreased levels of hepatic TNFa, a pro-inflammatory protein that is believed to be engrossed in the stimulation of insulin resistance within the liver and development of steatosis to hepatic fibrosis and cirrhosis.

"Our assumption is that rimonabant may be employed both for the reduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines like TNFa and amplification of anti-inflammatory and protective cytokines or hormones like adiponectin," the researchers averred.

"This consequently recommends a latent clinical use of this CB1 receptor antagonist in the treatment of liver diseases related to obesity and the metabolic syndrome," they added.