In an effort to shed even just a few pounds, some students look further than diet and exercise to find a medical way to gain their desired appearance.
At the local Westwood General Nutrition Center, which sells health supplements, vitamins and other health and diet related medications, diet pills are one of the most popular items, said Steven Nunes, an employee at the local Westwood General Nutrition Center.
But until last week, none of the diet pills that were available over the counter had been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The pill, called alli, has drawn both criticism and praise from experts since its increase in accessibility to the general public was approved by the FDA last week.
The pill’s approval is recommended for use by overweight adults in conjunction with a low-fat, reduced-calorie diet. It is expected to be available in stores nationwide by this summer.
And the FDA’s stamp of approval means for some students that the use of a diet pill to lose weight would not be out of the question.
Though Ben Kurtz, a third-year political science student, said he had never tried a diet before, he said if he needed to lose weight, he may turn to the newly approved pill.
“I guess if it was proven to be safe and was sold at a reasonable price … I’d consider the diet pill,” he said.
The primary function of alli is to prevent the absorption of fats from one’s diet, thus reducing overall net daily caloric intake, according to its Web site.
Formerly, the pill was available only by prescription and was twice its current dosage.
Though alli has been approved, there are several side effects, which have caused some doctors and nutritionists to warn consumers about the pill.
While the primary side effects are gastrointestinal-related, GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare called the side effects “treatment effects,” which may be quite severe and painful.
The most common side effects are loose or oily stool and frequent and urgent bowel movements.
“If you take too much of it, it’d probably be worse than not taking the pill,” Roberts said. “Hopefully that will disallow people from abusing it.”
Sherry Rahmatian, a second-year psychology student, said she would not use the diet pill, even in its approved over-the-counter form because she is concerned about the health risks and potential side effects.
“I’ve tried to eat healthy before, to watch my diet, but I don’t think I would ever take the new diet pill, especially if I’d experience the side effects that are associated with it,” she said.
The medication works by inhibiting certain enzymes that break down triglycerides, a type of fat, in the intestine. The triglycerides are prevented from being converted into absorbable fatty acids and pass freely through the body due to the inactivity of the enzyme
The directions given from the pill’s makers state that the simple consumption of this pill will not work miracles, and it is still required that consumers exercise regularly and adjust to more healthy eating habits in order to see any form of weight loss.
GlaxoSmithKline, the company responsible for marketing alli, has said on its Web site that those who “limit fat and calories through diet, use alli capsules, and get more physically active” will lose 50 percent more weight than with diet alone.
UCLA physiological science professor Christian Roberts said the majority of weight loss will not come solely from the pill, but from a change in lifestyle that incorporates a combination of exercise and a healthy diet.
“The bulk of the weight loss will be due to the lifestyle change and not the medication,” Roberts said, citing that the dosage of the over-the-counter alli is only 60 milligrams, just half of what is prescribed normally.
Manufacturers of the pill said they are offering what they see as a new outlook on weight loss that will revolutionize how users of the drug go about their daily lives and effectively help them lose the weight they couldn’t lose by other means.
“With alli, we’re excited to offer a revolutionary approach to weight loss,” Steven L. Burton, vice president of weight control at GSK, said in a statement. “Alli is more than a pill “”mdash; it’s a comprehensive program that works in conjunction with a sensible diet to increase weight loss. Because weight loss doesn’t happen overnight, we’re starting to educate consumers now about the importance of realistic expectations, gradual weight loss and lifestyle changes.”
The growing problem then becomes the actual desire for users to adapt and remain dedicated to the new lifestyle that is required for the successful implementation of alli. Roberts said users of alli looking to lose between 20 and 30 pounds will likely be disappointed due to the amount of time required to do so.
Several studies have been conducted that show that once the use of alli is stopped, participants regained much of their weight that they had initially lost.
Roberts said alli should be used only after one has been thoroughly assessed by either a dietician or nutritionist, and even then, it should be very well understood that it takes more than the simple popping of a pill to lose the weight and serious lifestyle changes must be made.
“I wouldn’t recommend it initially,” Roberts said. “I would assess, first of all, what is the person trying to do? What is the goal? How much weight loss are they trying to achieve? Have they tried to change eating habits and exercise patterns?”
And after having answered all those questions, one could find several other more effective means of losing weight at a similar pace and in a more effective manner, Roberts said.
“The effects are going to be small, and to be honest, there are other diet pills on the market that I think are more effective,” Roberts said. “I would start with just changing lifestyle and going from there.”