Alli Review

Alli Bottle ImageAlli’s claim to fame is that it’s the first over-the-counter weight loss drug that has been given approval by the US Food and Drug Administration. While most diet pills attempt to steer clear from the FDA as best they can (by watching their claims, and making sure their labeling says “Dietary Supplement” somewhere on it, among other things), GlaxoSmithKline headed straight for the FDA’s cast-iron gates and got their approval on February 7, 2007. You can also read the actual Alli approval letter, if you wish.

Alli Research and Clinical Studies

Alli is the over-the-counter marketing name for Orlistat, a prescription drug used to treat obesity that was initially approved in 1999. Numerous studies have indicated that Orlistat is effective at treating obesity1. One year clinical trials provided the following results2:

  • Between 35% and 55% of subjects achieved a 5% or greater decrease in body mass (not necessarily fat).
  • Cessation of Orlistat resulted in a significant number of subjects regaining approximately 35% of the weight they had lost.
  • Subjects experienced a 37% (this is significant) decrease in the incidence of type 2 diabetes.

Xenical, is the prescription drug name for Orlistat — it contains a higher dosage than Alli.

The primary function of Orlistat is to prevent the absorption of fats. As such, a low-fat diet should be observed when supplementing with Alli. Why? Because if you don’t, you may have a mess on your hands.

The Side Effects of Using Alli

When you think about this for just a second, it makes perfect sense. Alli diet pills block fats from being absorbed under the normal digestive process. So where does the unabsorbed fat go? It has to go somewhere right? Well, it “passes out of your body” to phrase it just like the manufacturer’s website. The side effects of Alli are:

  • Gas with oily spotting
  • Loose stools
  • More frequent stools that may be hard to control

A few notable quotes, to steal a Reader’s Digest term, that I just couldn’t resist. Keep in mind, these are taken directly from the manufacturer’s website:

  • “pick a day to begin taking alli, such as a weekend day so you can stay close to home if you experience a treatment effect.”
  • “until you have a sense of any treatment effects, it’s probably a smart idea to wear dark pants, and bring a change of clothes with you to work.”
  • “You may not usually get gassy, but it’s a possibility when you take alli. The bathroom is really the best place to go when that happens.”

Yikes!

Diet Needed with Alli Diet Pills vs. Well…Just a Diet

The guidelines given say that you a “fat allowance” of 15 g per meal. The problem is that if your calorie intake comes from simple carbs (sweets come to mine), limiting the fat intake isn’t going to do you a lot of good. And if you’re already going to exercise the discipline necessary to watch your fat intake…well, why not watch your entire diet? In the study referenced below, the average weight loss for a patient on Orlistat (the dosage wasn’t specified) was approximately 3kg, or 6.6 pounds. If the diet you have to be on in order to use Alli is so restrictive, then why not save yourself the money (and the gaseous explosions) and forget about Alli all together?

Alli Approval Pushed Left and Right

As soon as I heard that the FDA had approved a weight loss drug, I knew exactly what we’d see. And we’re seeing it from the manufacturer of Alli. Rest assured, they spent millions and millions of dollars to provide the support needed to gain approval from the FDA (not to mention untold lobbying that we never hear about). They’re going to mention that FDA approval again and again and again. On their site they mention more than once that “no other weight loss program offers an FDA approved, over-the-counter weight loss product…” (my emphasis, not theirs).

What does the FDA approval mean? It means that the FDA thought it was safe, and that the claims GSK is making are in line with the clinical results. But let’s keep in mind that Alli’s clinical results push that a patient (remember the side effects now) loses approximately 6.6 pounds. Good grief, even the worst types of diet pills could manage that amount over some period of time. And they don’t make you soil yourself while you’re at work.

Alli Overall Conclusion

Don’t let the FDA approval fool you. Look at the facts. The weight loss to be achieved is minimal. The diet is extremely restrictive, so you’d be better off just dieting. The side effects are…unpleasant. There are other options out there that far surpass Alli in effectiveness and safety. I’d look elsewhere.

  1. Postepy Hig Med Dosw (Online). 2007 Oct 19;61:612-26. [↩]

  2. “Xenical Clinical Pharmacology.” RxList – the Internet Drug Index. 10 Jan. 2008 <http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic/orlistat_cp.htm>. [↩]

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