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In the never ending battle to lose weight the focus has shifted away from eating less to doing less with what you eat. Figuring out a way to prevent your body from turning food into fat would mean faster weight loss with less sacrifice.
Sold as an over the counter drug by GlaxoSmithKline, Alli is an FDA approved product that tries to fulfill that goal. The Alli diet program involves a program of a reduced fat diet coupled with taking a supplement called orlistat.
A stronger version of orlistat is marketed in other parts of the world by Roche as a prescription drug called Xenical. Because Alli has been approved to be sold over the counter in the United States and the United Kingdom, you do not need a prescription and can buy Alli at drug stores and even grocery stores.
So how does Alli help you lose weight? One of the jobs of the pancreas is to produce an enzyme (called pancreatic lipase) that help to break down food so your body can absorb the nutrients. Stands to reason that if you had less of that enzyme, you would absorb less of the nutrients and therefore fewer calories.
The Alli program is not just about taking the orlistat supplement. Participants are encouraged to engage in moderate, regular exercise and maintain a healthy, low fat diet. Though a study done by GlaxoSmithKline shows a significant increase in weight loss by people on the Alli program, how much is due to taking orlistat and how much is due to lifestyle change is unclear.
Taking diet pills can have some unpleasant and scary side effects. Anxiety, stomach cramps and dizziness are just a few of the side effects reported with many popular supplements. Alli avoids these because it does its work in the digestive system. There is a downside, though. Loose stools, excessive gas and something called Brown Stain Problem (BSP) are all regular side effects of taking orlistat.
Another drawback to taking orlistat is the rare possibility of severe liver damage. Just over 30 cases of liver damage has been reported by people taking orlistat supplements in the last decade. Jaundice and weakness are the most common symptoms. The FDA recently started requiring the makers of Xenical and Alli to include information on liver damage with their products.
Positive results in losing weight have been obtained by many people using Alli. Educating people in portion control and regular exercise is critical in maintaining that weight loss and, unfortunately, most people gain the weight back after stopping the Alli program. A change in lifestyle to include eating smaller portions and engaging in regular exercise is still the one way to ensure losing the weight and keeping it off.
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