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FDA approved diet pill: strange side effects |
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Tuesday, 17 July 2007 |
by LINDSAY TIGAR
Lifestyles Editor
Each year Americans spend 33 billion on weight loss products and services according to the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
Researches estimate that 17 million adults use a weight loss supplement or diet pill regularly in the attempt to lose weight according to a study conducted by the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Although
there are hundreds of diet pills lining the shelves of pharmacies,
nutritional markets and wholesale stores nationally, only one diet pill
has the seal of approval from the Food and Drug Administration.
Alli, an over-the-counter diet pill became the first OTC weight loss supplement to be FDA approved earlier this year.
It’s half the price of its prescription equivalent Xenical and
guarantees 50 percent more weight loss than diet and exercise alone.
The FDA advisory committee voted for the pill 11 to three in late January.
GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare, owner of the Alli brand issued a
press release June 12 that guaranteed Alli’s availably nationwide.
In a six-month clinical study conducted by the FDA, Alli consumers lost
5.3 to 6.2 pounds more than those who used other weight loss
supplements according to Healthwatch.com.
Alli works by using its active ingredient to attach to the natural
enzymes in the digestive system and prevents them from breaking down
about a quarter of the fat that a person consumes.
This undigested fat cannot be absorbed and is not harmful according to www.myalli.com.
Alli even says that their consumer may recognize that fat after using
the toilet and describes it as looking like ‘oil on top of a pizza.’
“The reason you see the oil in the bowel movement is because that’s the
job of the pill to keep the fat from being absorbed,” Dr. Mary D.
Coleman-Kelly, a registered dietician and family and consumer sciences
professor, said.
Although Alli promises that its consumers won’t feel the usual side
effects of diet supplements such as jitteriness, sleeplessness and a
racing heart, it does warn of ‘treatment effects’.
If an Alli consumer eats more than an average of fifteen grams of fat
(such as a serving of Cheetos), they can expect to have ‘gas with oily
spotting, loose stools and more frequent stools that may be hard to
control,’ according to myalli.com.
Alli states that by having these side effects, it teaches individuals
to not only take a diet pill but to change what they eat as well.
“When the FDA wants to approve something they let people weigh in the pros and cons,”
Coleman-Kelly said. “From the studies they conducted, people lost about six percent more than with dieting alone.”
However, Coleman-Kelly is wary of the long-term effects of this new product.
“The longest that someone has taken this drug is two-three years,” she
said. “There are a lot of drugs that they [FDA] put on the market and
find that it causes serious effects later and pull it off the shelves.”
Unlike other diet pills, Alli offers an online plan that includes diet
changes, exercise and the opportunity to connect with a registered
dietician at the click of a mouse.
“The thing that’s unique about Alli is that it encourages a
comprehensive plan along with the pill,” Coleman-Kelly said. “It
incorporates behavior changes and says in order to be effective you
have to stick to a low-calorie diet.”
Alli does advise its consumers to take an interactive quiz at their Web
site that will help determine if someone is ready for Alli.
Questions proposed to online users range from ‘are you committed to
following a reduced-calorie, low-fat diet?’ to ‘will you read and
following the Alli label?’
General Nutrition Center (GNC) stores carry the Alli brand.
“I personally would not recommend Alli,” Kevin E. Pulliam, sales
representative at GNC in Asheville said. “It’s not going to do anything
more than diet and exercise do even though it claims you will lose 50
percent more weight.”
Steven L. Burton, vice-president of weight control for GlaxoSmithKline
healthcare stated in Alli’s press release that Alli is not for ‘people
looking for miracle pills or overnight results’.
Coleman-Kelly would only recommend Alli to a student who is considered
obese. She also suggests that any student who makes the choice to start
taking a diet pill regularly should meet with a registered dietician
beforehand.
Dietician services are included within student fees, Coleman-Kelly said.
“Eat lots of fruits and vegetables and watch portion intake to lose
weight,” she said. “Exercise is critical to losing weight as well.
College students can see weight loss just by cutting back on
unnecessary calorie intake, such as alcohol.”
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