Weight Loss Pill
Walking past any pharmacy recently, you may have noticed the striking advertising for the latest weight loss pill, Alli. This is a reduced dose version of the prescription drug marketed as Orlistat or Xenical. It works by preventing fat from your diet getting into your bloodstream; the fat stays in your gut.
The major side-effect of this is excess fat causing leakage (staining clothes) and the urgency to go to the bathroom. This is bad enough, but it also ignores the fact that you need some fat in your diet to allow absorption of essential fats such as Omega-3s and fat-soluble nutrients such as vitamins A, D. E and K to do their work.
The result is that despite some weight loss, taking this drug may cause poor nutrition and perhaps also affect your immune system. Remember, too, that if you don’t take the opportunity to change your diet for the better, when you stop the drug, the weight will probably return.