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The FDA recently approved diet pill Orlistat for sale as a non-prescription over-the-counter medication.
Amidst the buzz surrounding the FDA's decision and what it may do for our over-weight society, I would like to know what the science of this drug's action is.
According to MedicineNet.com Orlistat (which is also sold under the brand name Xenical) works by preventing the digestion and absorption of fat from the food we eat. The enzyme lipase metabolizes fats so they can be absorbed by the body. Orlistat blocks the action of lipase, thereby preventing the body from absorbing fat.
There are certain risks associated with taking Orlistat.
1. Orlistat may prevent the absorption of some dietary vitamins which need fat be absorbed by the body
(vitamins A, D, E and beta- carotene).
2. Orlistat may increase the risk of oxalate-related kidney stones.
3. It may induce oily stools, oily spotting on underwear and urgent bowel movements.
While Orlistat may very well help fight the 'battle of the bulge' we shouldn't forget that the cornerstone of a successful weight-loss plan has and will always be diet and exercise.
Check out another (quite entertaining) take on this story by fellow ScienceBlogger Kevin Beck
Comments
It would be interesting to find out how effective this was. The wikipedia page on Orlistat said this -
"In one-year clinical trials, between 35.5% and 54.8% of subjects achieved a 5% or greater decrease in body mass, although not all of this mass was necessarily fat. Between 16.4% and 24.8% achieved at least a 10% decrease in body mass. A significant number of subjects regained the weight after they stopped using orlistat. Despite this relatively small body mass effect, there was a 37% reduction in the incidence of Type 2 diabetes,[5] a significant difference." [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orlistat]
Haven't seen actual study info yet, but I would think this is going to be mostly hype. I think its effective in the way in which it was designed, but with the comment on people gaining the weight back after they ceiced to take it, then it won't be better than any quick weight loss gimick involving caffine, starving, and short frantic workouts.
Thanks for bloggin' on this.
Posted by: joltvolta | February 9, 2007 2:22 AM
You make some good points.
I think people also need to realize that Orlistat won't do anything for you unless you're eating food that contains fats.
So people can't consume a large starchy meal and then take Orlistat thinking it'll help prevent the carbs from being converted into fat.
Let's see how long the hype lasts.
Posted by: Karen Ventii | February 9, 2007 11:47 AM
Hopefully, potential abusers will be sanguine enough to know that they actually have to eat fatty foods for this drug to have any effect -- something a lot of them aren't apt to do to begin with. And even if they pop a few anyway, the side effects, while never negligible, are probably nowhere near as dangerous as those of a lot of existing OTC drugs.
Not exactly a ringing endorsement, but there it is.
Posted by: kemibe | February 9, 2007 6:51 PM
"we shouldn't forget that the cornerstone of a successful weight-loss plan has and will always be diet and exercise."
I'd like to add one more cornerstone: reasonable expectations.
It seems like so many people get screwed up by thinking they can lose more weight than is reasonable to expect, or faster. They either do stupid diets that injure their health and probably make them gain weight in the long run, or they give up on healthy diet and exercise because their unreasonable expectations aren't being met. People make themselves sick, or give up on improving their eating end exercise habits, because they want to look like Nicole Kidman and nothing else will do -- when, if they had a more reasonable goal, like improving their mood or getting a better night's sleep or being able to dance all night, they might do a lot better.
And maybe I'm being overly skeptical, but this Oristat stuff sounds like more snake oil to me.
Posted by: Greta Christina | February 9, 2007 11:46 PM
As one who struggles to maintain a healthy balance of gut micro-organisms I would be concerned about the effect of the undigested fats on this population.
I wouldn't jumponto this bandwagon until its been around for a few years, and the possible bad side effects are better understood.
Posted by: bigTom | February 11, 2007 2:39 PM
This reminds me a little of "Olestra" and their warnings to be careful of "anal leakage".
Posted by: Organic Chemistry | April 7, 2007 3:34 PM