Alli

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Wednesday, 25 March 2009 21:14

It would be hard to find someone who has not heard of alli® – a new, yet heavily hyped weight loss product. It is found on TV, newspaper and magazine ads, as well as countless online venues. alli® was developed by GlaxoSmithKline, a pharmaceutical company, who has recently made a foray into the holistic arena.

alli® has the distinction of being one of the few holistic supplements approved by the FDA; although the FDA is not required to approve holistic products, and some experts believe this is merely a marketing technique. Nevertheless, it is said to block 25% of the fat a person consumes from being digested. It has become very popular on the market, but customer reviews are largely unfavorable.

In fact, on many consumer-driven product review sites, it did not fair well, no doubt due to its high price tag and its side effects, as well as the controversy that has surrounded its development and use. Some people also report that it has not worked for them. That said, we strive to present dieters with the whole picture where a product’s abilities are concerned, so let’s take a more in-depth look at alli® to see why it does not rank highly among many dieters.

Ingredients at a Glance
alli® contains Orlistat, which is the primary ingredient also used in Xenical, a pharmaceutical-grade medication, but half the amount of Orlistat is used in alli®.

Ingredients in Focus
Orlistat is also known as tetrahydrolipstatin, which is a pharmaceutical drug that was originally intended to address obesity. It works by preventing the body from absorbing the fats that people may ingest during the course of the day. It does this by restraining an enzyme in the pancreas, whose primary function is breaking down triglycerides in the intestine. When this enzyme is blocked, the ingested fats are stopped from being absorbed by the digestive system, and are excreted from the body undigested.

This then is claimed to enable individuals to manage their calorie intake, as well as their fat intake. However, this drug, when it was originally created, was intended for use at its full strength, under the care of a physician. Many experts question its use in this form, in that it may not be as effective as it is in its full strength. This is a concern, which has also been raised by many people for whom this product has not shown any noticeable results in terms of weight loss.

Diet Lifestyle
alli® comes with a wide variety of side effects, which reportedly have caused some dieters to discontinue their use of this product. For instance, it is likely to cause steatorrhea - meaning oily, loose stools; fecal incontinence; frequent or urgent bowel movements; and severe flatulence. These are all documented and known side effects of this product, all of which are likely to be inconvenient, embarrassing and debilitating.

Anal leakage is one of the most talked about side effects, and its one that has hit many people hard. This issue occurs because the unabsorbed fat must be released from the body, so it is excreted unchanged in the feces. Some dieters report that they must travel with several pairs of underwear while taking this product, and others have reported more severe issues, such as fecal incontinence, which comes along with other issues in terms of managing this condition.

Positives
• May cut fat intake in some people

Negatives
• Not a well rounded weight loss product
• Has many side effects, including anal leakage
• Has received many negative reviews on consumer websites due to ineffectiveness, price and side effects

Final Thoughts
When alli® emerged onto the holistic market it was billed as the “new best thing”, but as time when on and the hoopla died down, certain issues started to emerge, mostly having to do with its side effects, which are quite intense. After reviewing this product and its main ingredient, Orlistat, we find that the gains do not outweigh its built-in flaws. Our research indicates that while some people find that they lose some weight while on alli®, many have do not. This product is not a sure thing – regardless of what the advertising would have us believe.

We believe that consumer reviews really give individuals a well-rounded idea of a product’s overall capabilities. We consistently find that alli® scores very low on consumer-driven websites, which are created to rate the effectiveness of holistic supplements and other products. This negative scoring was most often generated because of lack of results, pricing issues and side effects. Frankly, we did not expect to agree with these reviews, but the more we researched this product, the more we found that these issues are grounded in reality.

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