New diet drug is not your ally
Last Updated Aug 2007
If you are a drug company and have a bad drug that never fulfilled its promise,
what do you do when it runs out of patent protection? You give it a catchy new
name and blitz the media with the wondrous pronouncements of its magical benefits
to the unsuspecting public.
In this case the old drug Orlistat has been renamed Alli (pronounced "ally") as
in your ally in permanent weight control. What Alli does is partially block
the absorption of fat. This blocked fat has to go somewhere, and that's why the
primary side effect is greasy stools that come during the most unexpected times.
This is why the manufacturer advises wearing dark clothing or keeping an extra pair
of pants at the office. You can begin to see why Orlistat never caught on as a
prescription drug. Of course, that side effect might be OK if the drug actually
worked. Unfortunately, the clinical data barely support the hype.
Maybe it's because fat doesn't make you fat. What makes you fat and keeps you fat
is excess insulin production. So if you want to save $50 a month and who knows how
much more in dry cleaning expenses, consider the Zone Diet as the clinically
validated way to lose excess fat.