Weight loss diets

Xenical® (orlistat) is a prescription weight loss medication. It is approved to help people lose weight and to prevent weight regain in people who have already lost weight.

Xenical works by decreasing the absorption of fat from your diet. The stomach and intestine have enzymes, called lipases, that break down fat into smaller molecules which are then absorbed from your digestive tract. Xenical binds to lipases and inhibits their activity, helping to decrease fat absorption. The medication does not have any effect on carbohydrates or protein.
Studies have shown that Xenical helps people lose weight. After six months of taking the drug while dieting, people lost an average of 12.4 pounds (compared to just 6.2 pounds for people who were just dieting). After a year, those taking Xenical while dieting had lost a total of 13.4 pounds, on average (compared to 5.8 pounds for those just dieting). In addition, those taking Xenical for a year experienced decreases in total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol ("bad" cholesterol), blood sugar, and blood pressure, while those not taking Xenical increased all these factors.

In studies of Xenical in people with type 2 diabetes, the drug improved several measures of diabetes control, such as fasting glucose and hemoglobin A1c, and many people were able to reduce or discontinue their diabetes medications. Studies have also shown that Xenical can help prevent type 2 diabetes in people with obesity.

Xenical has also been studied as an aid to help people who have already lost weight keep the weight off. In one study, 52 percent of people not taking Xenical regained the weight they had lost, compared to just 26 percent of people who took the drug.

General considerations for when and how to take Xenical include the following: (more…)