# Effects of 2 months of methylphenidate on energy expenditure in individuals with obesity: A randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled pilot study

## TL;DR

This pilot study suggests that methylphenidate may increase energy expenditure in people with obesity, potentially helping counteract weight loss resistance.

## Contribution

The study is the first to show methylphenidate's potential to affect resting energy expenditure in individuals with obesity.

## Key findings

- Methylphenidate showed a trend toward increasing resting energy expenditure compared to placebo.
- The effect size was large, suggesting meaningful potential for thermogenic impact.
- No approved obesity drugs are known to measurably impact resting energy expenditure.

## Abstract

Methylphenidate (MPH) has been previously shown to increase resting energy expenditure (REE) in individuals of normal weight; however, the effects on individuals living with obesity are currently unknown. Ten individuals living with obesity were randomly assigned to undergo 60 days of MPH administration with a daily dose of 0.5 mg/kg body weight or a placebo control. REE was measured before and after the 60‐day intervention. There was a trend toward significance for group × time interaction on REE (p = 0.082) with a large effect size (η
2 = 0.331), with MPH administration increasing REE compared to a decrease in placebo control. Preliminary findings from this pilot study show that MPH has the potential to counter the adaptive thermogenic process commonly seen in weight loss. This is a unique finding among pharmacotherapies, as no approved obesity drugs measurably impact REE.