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Senior Citizen Health & Medicine
 Alli Hits Market Today but May Not Be the Diet Pill
to Get Hooked On: Consumer Reports
Offers modest results and can cause embarrassing
side effects
June 15, 2007 Senior citizens, more aware of
mortality than most, are well aware of the dangers of obesity and,
according to those flocking to the reports about the new
over-the-counter diet pill, alli, are very interested in maintaining a
healthy weight. Alli hits to market today but before getting hooked on
the $1.80-per-day-habit, there is information to consider in Consumer
Reports that is not all flattering.
The magazine also has a report from June of last
year that finds the prescription version of the fat-blocking drug,
orlistat (Xenical), hasn't lived up to its promise.
And, CR has a new, quick look at some dieting
strategies
Following are some highlights from the articles and
links to each one.
Is the new weight-loss drug worth it?
June, 2007 - It's no longer convenient to purchase
an effective decongestant these days, now that pseudoephedrine has been
moved behind the counter. But if it's weight loss you're after, you can
now buy orlistat, a fat-blocking drug of limited effectiveness, with
ease. In February the Food and Drug Administration gave manufacturer
GlaxoSmithKline the green light to sell an over-the-counter version of
the drug under the brand name Alli. Alli is half the dose of
prescription orlistat, Xenical, which has been on the market since 1999.
With the move GlaxoSmithKline stands to snag a
chunk of the $41 billion that Americans spend on weight-loss strategies
each year. The company says Alli, which recenly hit store shelves, will
cost $1.80 per day.
But if a pill that limits your body's ability to
absorb fat from food seems a little too good to be true, you're on to
something. The drug has several drawbacks.
CR's Take
"The prescription fat-blocking drug
orlistat (Xenical) is now available in a lower-dose over-the-counter
version under the brand name Alli. But it offers modest results and can
cause embarrassing side effects, so you might be better off skipping the
pills and saving your money."
>>
Click to the story at Consumer Reports
Fat-blocking drug: Should you use it?
June, 2006 - What if weight loss were as simple as
popping a pill that limits your body's ability to absorb fat from food?
By marketing such a drug over the counter, the pharmaceutical company
GlaxoSmithKline is wagering that it can snag a chunk of the $41 billion
Americans spend on weight-loss strategies each year. And after a
thumbs-up from a Food and Drug Administration advisory panel in January,
the agency granted conditional approval of the drug in early April 2006.
But ah, yes, there's a catch. The prescription
version of the fat-blocking drug, orlistat (Xenical), hasn't lived up to
its promise. "In clinical practice, we've found that compliance with
orlistat is very poor because of its marginal benefit and tremendous
side effects," said Zhaoping Li, M.D., Ph.D., of the clinical nutrition
division at the UCLA Medical Center, one of the centers involved in the
original trials of orlistat.
At half the prescription strength, the proposed
over-the-counter version is likely to be even less effective while
continuing to cause the negative effects of the eat-and-excrete approach
to weight loss.
>>
Click to the story at Consumer Reports
Three diet
doubtfuls
Despite the hype, these tactics are unlikely to
help
June, 2007 A quick review by Consumer Reports of
some dieting strategies.
Diet pills. Weight-loss pills have a
discouraging track record. Fat burners such as amphetamines and
ephedra have been linked to heart palpitations, strokes, heart attacks,
and deaths, even in healthy people.
Angel and devil foods. Some diets allow
coffee, and some ban it; the same for milk and fruit. Lists of foods
with special powers were part of two diet books we reviewed: The Abs
Diets Power 12 and the Top Ten Sonoma Diet Power Foods.
The glycemic index. Several of the diet
books based their meal plans on the principle of avoiding foods that
cause a rapid rise in blood sugar, so-called high-glycemic-index foods.
The science behind this is solid.
>>
Click to the story at Consumer Reports
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