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Wright from the Source
On this page of our website, Bob Wright- our Director of Lifestyle Education- will answer questions that are currently in the news. If you have a specific question, please feel free to submit it at: getserious@hhhealth.com.
Bob-
I've heard an over the counter pill for weight loss is about to be approved by the FDA, should I try it?
Recently an FDA advisory committee voted to recommend the approval of xenical for sale over the counter. While final FDA approval has not yet occurred, the FDA usually follows the recommendation of the advisory committee so it does appear that xenical will be available without a prescription in the near future. Should you take it when it becomes available --- before I answer that question, let’s take a look at its track record since it was approved as a prescription medication in 1999.
Xenical works by preventing the absorption of about 30% of the fat you eat, and the calories from that fat as well. Sounds great, in fact, it might sound like the answer to your prayers. Now you can eat all the fat you want and lose weight, right? Not so fast my friend. Remember that xenical works by preventing the absorption of about 30% of the fat you consume. If you eat a high fat diet, 30% represents a significant amount of fat that is not absorbed. That unabsorbed fat must go somewhere and it goes out of the body in sometimes unpredictable and unpleasant circumstances. According to Medline Plus, the most common side effects of xenical is the change in “bowel movement” (BM) habits. Including:
I've heard an over the counter pill for weight loss is about to be approved by the FDA, should I try it?
Recently an FDA advisory committee voted to recommend the approval of xenical for sale over the counter. While final FDA approval has not yet occurred, the FDA usually follows the recommendation of the advisory committee so it does appear that xenical will be available without a prescription in the near future. Should you take it when it becomes available --- before I answer that question, let’s take a look at its track record since it was approved as a prescription medication in 1999.
Xenical works by preventing the absorption of about 30% of the fat you eat, and the calories from that fat as well. Sounds great, in fact, it might sound like the answer to your prayers. Now you can eat all the fat you want and lose weight, right? Not so fast my friend. Remember that xenical works by preventing the absorption of about 30% of the fat you consume. If you eat a high fat diet, 30% represents a significant amount of fat that is not absorbed. That unabsorbed fat must go somewhere and it goes out of the body in sometimes unpredictable and unpleasant circumstances. According to Medline Plus, the most common side effects of xenical is the change in “bowel movement” (BM) habits. Including:
· oily, spotty BM
· gas with discharge
· urgent need to have a BM
· oily or fatty stools
· an oily discharge (anal leakage)
· inability to control BMs
So you can see that the side effects of taking xenical along with a high fat diet are unpleasant and potentially embarrassing. Therefore, the main benefit of taking it is that it forces you to stay on a low fat diet. When taken as recommended, on a low fat diet, xenical’s effect is not very significant. On average those taking the prescription dose of xenical lost 5-6 lbs. in six months. Glaxo Smith-Kline, the manufacturer of xenical, suggests that it be taken for only six months and when people stop taking it, it loses its effectiveness. The OTC dose (named Alli) will be ½ the prescription dose, and while the potential for negative side effects will be reduced, so will its effectiveness. The average weight loss will probably be in the 2-3 lb. range in the six month Glaxo recommends you take it, which will likely be regained once the medication is stopped. I don’t think that the results or lack of them provide a compelling argument for taking alli.
At this point, our position remains unchanged. The only way to lose weight and keep it off is to consume a diet that is nutritionally sound and portion managed (see H3I’s Food Pyramid) and to exercise regularly. Essentially the same message we have been promoting for 30 years.