Orlistat Diet Pill Review

Posted By Paul on Dec 1, 2008 | 1 comment

Orlistat diet pills are one of the safest drugs for weight loss. Information on Orlistat indicates that the compound interferes with the absorption of fat in the stomach and the intestine.

This drug binds with and inactivates the enzymes (lipases) that help with digesting fats. With no enzymes to breakdown dietary fats into absorbable components, the gut is prevented from sucking up the fatty content of a meal. The undigested fat is excreted without being able to adversely effect the body weight.

Add a calorie-restricted diet to the Orlistat diet pill and, with no fat coming in from the gut, the body has to access stored flab to meet the daily caloric requirement. As this fat deficit is maintained over the duration of drug administration, the adipose tissue is gradually mobilized until there’s none to spare.

Placebo controlled studies have documented a steady reduction in the body weight and body mass index starting at 2 weeks and continuing for over a year, with the average weight loss ranging from 12.4 lb. to 13.4 lb.

Patients who completed a year’s treatment with Orlistat have been shown to lose at least 5% of their baseline body weight. Orlistat also has a proven record of weight maintenance. 74% of patients treated with Orlistat maintained their weight loss following a year’s therapy.

Orlistat is so special because preventing fat absorption is a very apt action for a diet pill. Reduction of adipose tissue (fat) has inherent added benefits. The total cholesterol, LDL/HDL ratios, diastolic blood pressure and blood sugar levels all drop to healthier levels.

There is often a need to reduce doses of anti-diabetic medications for patients on Orlistat diet pill therapy. Hip and waist circumference slim down by an average of 5 to 7 cms on Orlistat diet pills. An interesting observation is that people on Orlistat have been found to have a smaller chance of developing glucose intolerance and diabetes over the next three years. This is attributed to the reduction in adipose tissue and fat. In turn, this decreases insulin resistance and allows better control of blood sugar levels.

What is perhaps even better is that Orlistat achieves this with the minimum possible hindrance to human physiology. It…

• acts within the gut
• hardly enters the blood circulation
• need not be broken-down to be eliminated
• is naturally excreted through the feces
• has few interactions with other drugs or micro-nutrients that cannot be easily compensated for.

Orlistat diet pills do decrease the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins like Vitamin A, D, E and K. However, this can easily be countered by taking a multi-vitamin supplement either two hours before or after administration of an Orlistat diet pill.

What about drug interactions? An important drug that needs to be mentioned is Warfarin, a blood thinner used to prevent blood clots. Orlistat can potentiate the action of Warfarin and can lead to bleeding problems in people on this drug. Therefore diabetics and people on blood thinners should take Orlistat diet pills only under strict medical supervision.

Orlistat diet pills are an excellent choice in a BMI greater than 30 kg/m2 or in a BMI of 27 kg/m2 when associated with other risk factors like diabetes, hypertension, atherosclerosis.

Note: Body Mass Index is calculated as so… BMI=weight(kg)/ [height(m)2]. You can use this online BMI calculator to determine yours!

The recommended therapy for Orlistat diet pills is 120 mg three times a day, taken during or up to 1 hour after a nutritionally balanced, reduced-calorie meal.

Treatment can be continued for a maximum period of 2 years, and should be accompanied with a multi-vitamin — taken either two hours before or after the administration of the drug.

Orlistat is not recommended for use in pregnant or nursing mothers, in children and the elderly.