GlaxoSmithKline has received conditional approval from the FDA to sell the weight-loss drug Xenical over-the-counter. It would be sold under the brand name Alli.
The pill blocks fat from being absorbed by the body. If it wins final approval, it will be the only FDA-approved weight-loss drug available without a prescription.
However, the drug can cause excess gas and oily discharge, and can lead to hepatitis, gallstones and kidney stones. Recent studies have also linked the drug to precancerous colon lesions and a heightened risk of breast cancer, prompting consumer groups such as Public Citizen to petition the FDA to reject GlaxoSmithKline's request for over-the-counter sales and pull Xenical from the U.S. market.
Apparently, my worst fears about Xenical, the fat-blocking drug I warned you about late last year, have come true. The 60-milligram version, to be called Alli, comes in tablet form and is meant to be taken with meals.
However, this drug can cause kidney stones and other health problems, including 14 times the breast cancer risk of those who used a rival weight loss drug, the appetite depressant Meridia.
Xenical (or "Alli", or whatever they choose to call it) does not at all address the underlying causes of obesity in any way, shape or form.
Additionally, and perhaps more importantly, taking this drug perpetuates the low-fat myth, since it blocks fat absorption and is supposed to be taken with a low-fat diet. This is particularly tragic it is my impressions are one of the most important and essential tools to improving your health.
Although some people, like carb types, do require and benefit from low fat diets, they still need essential fats, like omega-4 fats and healthy saturated fats like coconut oil. But they also need to avoid trans fats entirely and to limit omega-6 oils as nearly everyone consumes too many of them. Optimizing your omega 6:3 ratios is truly one of they keys to Total Health.
Sugars and grains -- not fat -- are far likely the culprits behind obesity. And, of course, inactivity is another major player here.
As I've often said, no one needs a health-harming drug or a needless medical procedure to lose weight effectively and safely when