Orlistat is a weight loss ingredient that is used to create fat blockers such as the over the counter product Alli and the available through prescription only supplement known as Xenical. This ingredient is found in the dose of 60mg for Alli and 120mg for Xenical. Orlistat does currently have FDA approval which means that it has been studied and deemed safe for weight loss purposes. Studies have indicated that some test subjects did achieve a weight loss of 5-10% of their beginning body weight at the end of a one year time period.
Price: Alli – $22.95 for 20 pills
Xenical – $257.71 for 90 pills
Ingredients and Mechanism of Action:
Orlistat is the active ingredient in the above mentioned fat blockers Alli and Xenical. This ingredient allows the body to block a portion of your ingested fat from being absorbed and concurrently stored on your frame. This supposedly facilitates weight loss by giving the body less fat stores and causes you to burn through what fat is already stored when the body needs an alternative energy source. However, the interesting thing is that while side effects like diarrhea and other gastric problems have been confirmed. Actually, it seems that Orlistat would slow the weight loss associated with a healthy diet and exercise program. Users take a year to lose 5-10% of body weight, and this is with a basically no fat diet, when they should be losing that in maybe 1-2 months with healthy diet and exercise.
Overall Impression of Orlistat
This product does not show the results necessary for us to find it to be of substantial use in any weight loss compound. The scant positive results that this ingredient can boast were short lived and her over shadowed by the completely inconvenient and alienating side effects. We do not recommend any product containing Orlistat at this time.