Alli Diet Pills

By: Charles Amith

The first FDA-approved over-the-counter diet pill is creating a ton of buzz for those wanting to lose weight. After many years and many diet pills, many are not FDA-approved until the release of the diet pill known as Alli. The over-the-counter version of the FDA-approved prescription drug Xenical.

But what is Alli and what does it really do? Well, for starters, Alli is essentially Orlistat created by the company GlaxoSmithKline and is known as tetrahydrolipstatin, a drug used to treat people who are obese. The diet pill prevents the absorption of fat from the human diet and also reduces caloric intake.

How it works in the body is that Alli or the Orlistat inhibits the pancreas enzyme known as lipase from breaking down triglycerides in the intestine. Without the enzyme, the triglycerides are prevented from being hydrolyzed into absorbable free fatty acids. So, only trace amounts of the Orlistat are absorbed and the lipase is inhibited and eliminated through a bowel movement.

Weight Loss

In research done during one year, between 35.5% and 54.8% of those taking Alli achieved a 5% decrease in body mass, not all was fat. Between 16.4% and 24.8% had a decrease of 10% in body mass. But after the subjects stop taking Alli, many regained up to 35% of the weight they had lost. A significant find through a study done by XENDOS showed a 37% reduction in the incidence of type-2 diabetes.

Side Effects

So, Alli has been shown to contribute to weight loss but there are side effects that are clearly mentioned on the labels. One of the side effects of the drug are gastrointestinal-related problems such as steatorrhea (oily, loose stools because the orlistat blocks dietary fat from being absorbed, thus fat is excreted and unchanged during a bowel movement). The other side effect is fecal incontinence, which is the urge to have a bowel movement and the other is flatulence. So, the drug makers recommend that people minimize eating foods with high fat content and eating a low-fat, reduced calorie diet. And also, as a prevention towards oily stools and flatulence, it can be controlled by eating 15 grams per meal.

So, with the first FDA-approved over-the-counter diet pill, Alli is becoming a hit because it has been effective in weight loss. Also, the drug has been run through many clinical trials and studied among patients and is known for its positive effects and maybe preventing people from having type-2 diabetes.

The drug primarily works in the digestive system and does not affect other organs such as the heart or the brain like many other diet drugs have been known to do.

But in order for any dieting to work, it takes commitment in eating the right foods and lowering your calorie count, exercising and practicing healthy habits and of course, drinking a lot of water. By taking Alli, you are sure to lose weight but to make sure you keep those pounds off, this is not a miracle drug that will just work immediately while a person still eats unhealthy. You need to make changes in your life and work towards that effort of losing weight.

If you have a health condition, make sure you talk to your physician before taking Alli.