Weight loss medication in the most recent health news is something known as Orlistat. There are not many prescription based weight loss pills on the market but Orlistat, also known as Xenical is one of the latest. Orlistat has been around for at least a decade and is claimed to promote weight loss by preventing digestion and absorption of fat in the intestine.

All fat when ingested is broken down by an enzyme released from the pancreas. The pancreas releases the enzyme lipase which breaks up the fat which can then be absorbed from the intestine into the body. Orlistat acts by blocking the lipase enzyme so that the fats are not broken down and hence not absorbed. The blockage on the lipase enzyme is not 100% but average about 50%-75%. The unabsorbed fat is then excreted into the stools.

Orlistat has been approved by the FDA for use in North America. There is also a lower dose of the drug available over the counter. The generic brand name sold over the counter is known as Alli and requires no prescription.

For weight loss, Orlistat has to be taken on a daily basis for 2-3 months. However, the pill itself does not always work in all individuals. Physicians recommend that Orlistat must be combined with exercise and a reduced intake of calories for the medication to have the most benefits. If the patient is suffering from weight gain as a result of hormone imbalance, the patient must first stabilize hormone levels and follow a hormone diet which achieve weightloss. The drug is often prescribed for individuals who are moderately obese (BMI > 25 kg/m2).

Studies indicate that the average weight loss with Orlistat after six months averages about 12-15 pounds.

The prescription pill (120mg) is taken three times a day, one hour before each meal.
Because Orlistat inhibits fat absorption, patients taking fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) should not take Orlistat at the same time.

While Orlistat is generally a safe drug it does have a few unpleasant side effects. The most common side effect includes soiling of the underwear. The soiling is from the unabsorbed fat which can occur at any time. Passage of excess gas, loose and oily stools is also common. Some individuals also develop abdominal cramps and bloating. The inability to control bowel movements is also a common complaint. These side effects do not occur in all individuals but when they do occur, they are disturbing. The side effects generally start a few weeks after starting treatment and in a few patients may resolve. However, in the majority of individuals the symptoms will persist as long as the pill is taken. To decrease the side effects, it is recommended that one eat a low fat diet and decrease the dose of Orlistat.

A rare side effect of the drug is the development of kidney stones.

Orlistat is not an inexpensive product. The average cost for 30 pills is about $60-$90. And remember one takes 3 pills a day and so it is an expensive undertaking with no guarantee of any benefit plus a definite chance of developing some type of side effect.

Speak with your physician if you feel you would like to try this medication before you embark on your weight loss program.

Want to live longer, look better as you age? Research has found that eating less and therefore consuming less calories seems to help as far as anti-aging goes. Read the following health news article from the BBC news on how a reduction of calories will benefit you as you age and this is true for both men and women.

“Cutting calories may delay the aging process and reduce the risk of disease, a long-term study of monkeys suggests.

The benefits of calorie restriction are well documented in animals, but now the results have been replicated in a close relative of man over a lengthy period. Over 20 years, monkeys whose diets were not restricted were nearly three times more likely to have died than those whose calories were counted. Writing in Science, the US researchers hailed the “major effect” of the diet.

It involved reducing calorie intake by 30% while maintaining nutrition and appeared to impact upon many forms of age-related disease seen in monkeys, including cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and brain atrophy. Whether the same effects would be seen in humans is unclear, although anecdotal evidence so far suggests people on a long-term calorie-restricted diet have better cardiovascular health.

The precise mechanism is yet to be established: theories involve changes in the body’s metabolism or a reduction in the production of “free radical” chemicals which can cause damage. Seventy-six rhesus monkeys were involved in the trial, which began in 1989 and was expanded in 1994. Half had their diets restricted, half were given free rein at feeding time.

The rate of cancers and cardiovascular disease in dieting animals was less than half of those permitted to eat freely.

While diabetes and problems with glucose regulation were common in monkeys who ate what they wanted, there were no cases in the calorie controlled group. In addition, while most brains shrink with age, the restricted diet appeared to maintain the volume of the brain at least in some regions. In particular, the areas associated with movement and memory seemed to be better preserved. “Both motor speed and mental speed slow down with ageing,” said Sterling Johnson, a neuroscientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine.

“Those are the areas which we found to be better preserved. We can’t yet make the claim that a difference in diet is associated with functional change because those studies are still ongoing.”

It seems to hold true that reducing caloric consumption is a major factor for age management for men and women.
Read the rest of the story here.

A meal at a fast food restaurant could expose children to “staggeringly” high levels of salt, a survey has suggested.

Lobby group, Consensus Action on Salt and Health (Cash), found one meal from Pizza Hut contained four times the daily limit of salt for a six-year old.

KFC also did poorly in the analysis of hundreds of food items, which also included McDonalds and Burger King.

All the restaurant chains said they had reduced salt levels considerably in their products in recent years.

The government recommends a maximum of 6g of salt per day for adults, 5g a day for children aged 7-10 and 3g for children aged 4-6.

According to the Cash survey, a family of four sharing a Pizza Hut meal deal – consisting of one Cheesy Bites Meat Feast, one medium Super Supreme, a portion of garlic bread, a portion of potato wedges, chicken wings, and a cheesecake desert – could eat 12.3g of salt each.

The amount of salt consumed in one meal is more than twice the daily limit for an adult and four times the daily limit of a six year old.

A family meal from KFC – consisting of eight mini breast fillets, two regular popcorn chicken portions, four regular fries, a large portion of BBQ beans, a large coleslaw and a 1.5 litre Pepsi shared equally between four – could contain 5.2g of salt per person.

Of meal combinations aimed specifically at children, the salt content varied from 4.3g of salt in a Pizza Hut chicken wrap and a soft drink to 0.6g in a McDonald’s Happy Meal of chicken nuggets and a fruit bag.

CASH said all the restaurants had information on the salt content of their food on the company websites, but Pizza Hut and KFC had no information at the point of sale.

The saltiest individual meals:

Pizza Hut Meat Feast Italian Pizza Plus (meat feast pizza, potato wedges, cheesecake) 9.7g

KFC Variety Meal (three chicken pieces, two hot wings, Colonel’s Crispy Strip, regular fries, regular diet coke) 6.3g

Burger King Chicken BLT Baguette Meal (chicken BLT baguette, regular fries, regular coca cola) 4.8g

McDonalds Quarter Pounder with Cheese Meal (quarter pounder burger with cheese, medium fries, medium coca cola) 3.2g

They called for all restaurants to carry nutrition information so people could make informed choices.

“It is over four years since the maximum daily limits for salt were established for adults and children,” said Professor Graham MacGregor, chairman of Cash.

“And yet this survey shows that the salt levels in some of these meals are staggeringly high.

“How can these companies justify selling food that contains more than the maximum daily limit for adults and children in a single meal?”

He added that high levels of salt in childhood contributed to increased blood pressure and risk of heart attack in later life.

A spokesperson for Pizza Hut said the pizzas highlighted in the survey are not part of a family meal deal and that they had been working since 2004 to cut the salt in their foods.

Lower salt options

McDonalds Chicken McNuggets Meal (six chicken nuggets, medium fries, medium coca cola) 1.5g

KFC Colonel’s Meal (two chicken pieces, regular fries, regular diet coke) 2.5g

Burger King Hamburger Meal Deal (hamburger, regular fries, regular coca cola) 2.96g

Pizza Hut Seafood Lovers Pan Pizza Plus (seafood pizza, garlic bread, chocolate fudge cake) 4.7g

“Every sensible parent knows that Pizza Hut is an enjoyable treat and we have significantly reduced the salt levels in our products over the past few years.”

A spokesperson for KFC said they had reduced salt by up to 30%.

“We were the first – and remain the only – fast food chain to have removed salt from our fries, leaving customers to choose whether they want to add salt or not.”

McDonalds said they had worked hard to make significant reductions in salt levels and would continue to do so.

Burger King said their burgers had no added salt.

News Source:  BBC NEWS