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Alli Diet Pill Review
Alli Weight Loss Program
Alli diet pills are a less potent version of Xenical, which is a prescription weight loss drug. Orlistat is also known as tetrahydrolipstatin, a drug designed to treat obesity that works by preventing the absorption of fats from your diet; hence reducing the overall caloric intake. Orlistat is marketed as Xenical (a prescription weight loss drug), and also as Alli, which is an over the counter weight loss pill marketed by GlaxoSmithKline - it is less potent compared to Xenical. Xenical contains 120mg of Orlistat, while Alli contains 60mg of Orlistat - just half as much per dose.
Alli (Orlistat) works by preventing the absorption of fats in your diet. It inhibits the pancreatic lipase enzyme, which is secreted from the pancreas that breaks down fat molecules. When the pancreatic lipase enzyme is inhibited, fats consumed in the diet are not absorbed and pass through the body undigested.
Alli is heavily promoted and marketed as "The only FDA approved, over-the-counter weight loss product." Having been FDA approved certainly lends credibility behind a diet pill in a weight loss industry saturated with dozens if not hundreds of different fat burners and diet pills. Each bottle of Alli diet pill costs around $55 to $65, depending where you buy it, and if you've used Alli, please share your review and feedback here.
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Does Alli Work?
There are plenty of anecdotal evidence that Alli works - users reporting good results (along with various side effects, notably having to do with gastrointestinal issues.) As well, there have been numerous studies done on Orlistat, and studies have found that treatment with Alli (Orlistat) reduced the participants body weight by about 8.5%[1] and up to 10.2%[2], with weight loss averaging 8.6kg[3]. It's suffice to say that there are plenty of scientific evidence and clinical studies performed with human subjects to backup the weight loss claims of Orlistat (Xenical and Alli). We'll discuss some of these clinical studies below.
Alli (Orlistat) Diet Pill Studies
A one-year trial to assess the value of orlistat in the management of obesity.
James WP, Avenell A, Broom J, Whitehead J.
Summary: This study was designed to assess the efficacy and tolerability of Orlistat 120mg as a weight loss pill compared to a calorie reduced diet alone. Patients 18 or older with BMI between 30 and 43 were placed on calorie reduced diets taking either Orlistat or a placebo 3 times a day for 52 weeks.
The study found a 5.5kg reduction in body weight of the placebo group compared to an average 8.6kg reduction in body weight of the orlistat group. They also found that the placebo group tended to gain some weight back, whereas the Orlistat group maintained their weight loss. The orlistat group also experienced a total LDL cholesterol drop by 4.2%. However, the researchers noted that the orlistat group experienced increase in intestinal symptoms, but were well tolerated. They concluded that taking an Orlistat diet pill with a healthy, low calorie diet confers advantages in long term management of obesity.[3]
Efficacy of healthy weight loss program in obesity treatment: Croatian experience.
Crncevć-Orlić Z, Jovanović Z, Stimac D, Zaputović L, Persić V, Ruzić A.
University Hospital Center Rijeka, School of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia.
Summary: This study evaluated the efficiency of a 6 month weight loss treatment program which combined a healthy diet, fat reduction, psychological counseling, exercise, and Orlistat weight loss pill. The study involved 476 subjects who had a BMI over 30, and had increased blood pressure and cholesterol. They began with 4 weeks of adjustment to the diet to a mild low calorie diet of 1600 calories per day. After the initial four weeks of diet change, the subjects received 120mg Orlistat.
They found that after 6 months, the average weight loss was 10.9%. They also found that cholesterol levels also dropped by 9.8% at the end of the trial. Of the 476 subjects, only 9 subjects did not tolerate the Orlistat treatment well. The researchers concluded that a healthy diet, exercise, combined with Orlistat was an efficient approach to treating obesity. [4]
Randomised placebo-controlled trial of orlistat for weight loss and prevention of weight regain in obese patients. European Multicentre Orlistat Study Group.
Sjöström L, Rissanen A, Andersen T, Boldrin M, Golay A, Koppeschaar HP, Krempf M.
Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Göteborg, Sweden.
Summary: This was a randomized, controlled trial to test the efficacy and tolerability of Orlistat in weight loss and preventing weight regain over a 2 year period. 743 subjects with a BMI ranging 28 to 47, recruited from 15 different European centers took part in a 4 week study. The subjects followed a 600 calorie deficit per day during the study, and were treated with 120mg of Orlistat (3 times per day), lasting 1 year. In the second 52 week period, the subjects were reassigned Orlistat or placebo, while following a weight maintenance diet.
The study found that in the first year, the Orlistat group lost an average of 10.3kg versus 6.1kg of the placebo group. In the second year, subjects who continued taking Orlistat regained half as much weight back as the placebo group. They also found that gastrointestinal adverse events were more common in the Orlistat group. The researchers concluded that Orlistat promotes clinically significant weight loss and also helps reduce weight regain over a 2 year period. However the use of Orlistat beyond 2 years still requires further studying. [5]
Above, we listed and briefly summarized 3 studies done on Orlistat. All these studies involved real human subjects, and in fact, a large number of human subjects. One study had over 700 obese individuals and another study involved over 400 over weight subjects. There are many more such studies that are readily available, but there's no need to list them all here. The fact is, Orlistat is a thoroughly tested, and scientifically proven diet pill that can help in the battle against obesity.
Alli Side Effects
While Orlistat was well tolerated in these studies, they did cite gastrointestinal problems, which seems to be one of the more common side effects of taking Alli for weight loss. Because Alli works by preventing the dietary fat from being absorbed, the fat is excreted from the body unchanged - so loose and oily stools are rather common. Bowel movements may also become more frequent or urgent. However, you can minimize this type of Alli side effect by avoiding foods high in fat content.
Because Alli works by blocking the absorption of fat in your intestines, various side effects you may notice will involve oily or fatty stools. Below are some possible side effects of Alli:
- Oily or fatty stools
- Oily discharge
- Urgent need to have a bowel movement
- Increased frequency of bowel movements
- Difficulty controlling bowel movements
- Gas problems, oily gas
- Some users have reported orange colored stools
- Constipation
- Stomach cramps
- Headaches
While diet pills such as Alli can help block fat absorption and help you lose weight as shown in the studies, it is important to point out that in all of these clinical studies, the use of orlistat was always combined with a sensible diet having a calorie deficit to help with weight loss. You simply cannot rely solely on diet pills such as Alli to help you lose weight. Along with Alli, you must ensure to have a good diet program that will help you lose weight and burn fat. Your diet must allow you to continue to lose weight or maintain your weight without re-gaining what you lost after you've finished using Alli diet pills.
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1. One-year treatment of obesity: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre study of orlistat, a gastrointestinal lipase inhibitor.
Finer N, James WP, Kopelman PG, Lean ME, Williams G.
Centre for Obesity Research, Luton and Dunstable Hospital, UK.
2. Randomised placebo-controlled trial of orlistat for weight loss and prevention of weight regain in obese patients.
Sjostrom L, Rissanen A, Andersen T, Boldrin M, Golay A, Koppeschaar HP, Krempf M.
Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Goteborg, Sweden.
3. A one-year trial to assess the value of orlistat in the management of obesity.
James WP, Avenell A, Broom J, Whitehead J.
Rowett Research Institute, Bucksburn, Aberdeen.
4.
Efficacy of healthy weight loss program in obesity treatment: Croatian experience.
Crncevć-Orlić Z, Jovanović Z, Stimac D, Zaputović L, Persić V, Ruzić A.
University Hospital Center Rijeka, School of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia.
5.Lancet. 1998 Jul 18;352(9123):167-72.
Randomised placebo-controlled trial of orlistat for weight loss and prevention of weight regain in obese patients. European Multicentre Orlistat Study Group.
Sjöström L, Rissanen A, Andersen T, Boldrin M, Golay A, Koppeschaar HP, Krempf M.
Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Göteborg, Sweden.
October 2008 |
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