'Miracle' Diet Pills No Substitute

Miracle diet pills no substitute, diet and exercise, doctors warn


Pharmacies are awash with pills that promise to make dieting easier.  But doctors warn these are no long-term substitute for self-discipline and healthy living.

GlaxoSmithKline have just launched the drug Alli amidst claims that it can help dieters lose 3lb per week or 3+ stones in 4 months.  Alli works by reducing the body's ability to process fat by around 25%.  The undigested fat passes straight through the body, creating an urgent need to go to the bathroom.

However Prof Gareth Williams, of the University of Bristol said that the side-effects are so severe that users were unlikely to finish their first pack of Alli, let alone buy a second. 

Said he:  "Selling anti-obesity drugs over the counter will perpetuate the myth that obesity can be fixed simply by popping a pill and could further undermine efforts to promote healthy living, which is the only long-term escape from obesity.”

He also said that real-life weight loss may well not be as dramatic as that shown in clinical trials
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"People ... taking it without medical supervision may achieve an average daily energy deficit of only 100kcal - equivalent to leaving a few French fries on a plate or eating an apple instead of ice cream’.

An alternative drug is Appesat – a seaweed extract which swells in the stomach creating a feeling of fullness - which claims to cause weight loss of just under 2lb per week.

Appesat’s benefits were questioned by Dr Jason Halford, director of the Study of Human Ingestive Behaviour at University of Liverpool:

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"The cure for obesity and being overweight will never be found in a pill, packet or a wonder drug," Dr Halford said. "That can only come from enormous changes to our food and physical environment, which are going to take a long time to achieve.  Drugs don't necessarily deal with reasons why people become obese, which are largely psychological."

Source:  The Telegraph