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Let's take a second look at this drug. Why did the FDA review panel give it the thumbs up? Is this drug safe and effective? Those are the two criteria upon which these decisions are supposed to be made.

Well, it turns out that Alli is just barely effective in clinical trials. Patients who took this drug lost about 1 pound a month. That's hardly any weight loss that all. That's the same amount of weight loss that you could experience simply by eating about a thousand fewer calories a week, which comes down to just a few cans of soda per week. By the way, that weight loss reversed itself as soon as people went off the drug, meaning they gained it right back. Still, the drug is being heralded as a potential blockbuster because so many Americans are desperate to lose weight and it seems that they will do almost anything to accomplish that goal.

My question is, will they tolerate soiled underwear to accomplish it? That's one of the most common side effects of this drug. People actually spotted their clothes with uncontrollable anal discharges. I don't know about you, but to me that's not worth losing a pound a month. I think losing your self respect might be more valuable than that, but I guess that's up to each person to decide. I wonder how this works when dating? Do you wear, like, diapers?

Blocking healthy fats

Those acids include omega-3 fatty acids, which is why you're hearing about all the benefits of eating oily fish like salmon. But people who are taking this drug are inevitably blocking the absorption of these essential fatty acids as well as blocking the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins that go along with them. Some of those vitamins are extremely important to human health. The fat-soluble vitamins include vitamin E, vitamin A and vitamin D.

It is vitamin D that I am most concerned about, because right now vitamin D deficiencies are widespread across Western populations, especially those in the United States. A deficiency in vitamin D directly promotes a numbers of serious diseases including diabetes, depression, osteoporosis, schizophrenia, breast cancer, prostate cancer and even gum disease. For people who are already overfed and undernourished, taking a fat-blocking pill that will reduce the absorption of vitamin D seems like dietary insanity to me. It makes me wonder about the priorities of the FDA, too. Are they sure the benefits of this drug outweigh the risks?

Are nutritional deficiencies an acceptable side effect?

Let's face it: Essential fatty acids are named that because they are essential. Vitamin D and other fat-soluble nutrients are absolutely crucial for human health, especially the health of expectant mothers, newborns and senior citizens. These are nutrients that we cannot live healthfully without. So what could possibly be the FDA review panel's motivation in approving this drug that has almost no perceived benefit? It causes merely one pound of weight loss a month (and that's if you actually believe the clinical trials), yet it creates considerable health risks to those who take the drug. Again, those risks are widespread nutritional deficiencies that exacerbate existing deficiencies and can lead to serious degenerative disease.

The answer is the same answer that applies to most of the decisions made in conventional medicine today: A new over-the-counter weight loss drug would generate potentially billions of dollars of profit for Big Pharma. Even though this drug may not be very effective, and even though it may cause outrageous side effects like anal leakage, it will still be heavily promoted with heavy advertising. Its benefits will be exaggerated; its side effects and risks will be minimized or ignored altogether. Potentially, tens of millions of Americans will try this drug out of desperation to lose weight, and this drug won't be cheap, either. So this mad dash to a magic bullet pill could result in huge profits for the manufacturer of the drug. I believe that is the primary reason the FDA made this decision. The FDA has a long track record of defending Big Pharma at the expense of public health.

Now, perhaps the worst part of this is that consumers of this drug may feel that taking this drug gives them a license to continue to eat unhealthy foods. They will think that they no longer have to watch what they eat because this little pill absorbs all the bad stuff. They might continue to eat fried foods or unhealthy saturated animal fat products like hamburgers, cheese, milk and lots of fast food products. Their health may continue to suffer even as they think they are protecting themselves.

It seems this pill could give people the justification to make poor decisions about their nutrition, and that's another reason why I think this pill could pose a very real danger to the long-term health of consumers. That doesn't mean it won't be popular. Perhaps the blockbuster sales of this drug will spur a new industry: Diapers for adults. If you're in the diaper business, you might want to think about introducing a new line of diapers for adults who are on these fat absorbing prescriptions drugs. It might be more profitable than selling the drugs!

One thing is for sure: You can bet I won't be taking this prescription drug. I'll continue covering it, though, to help educate those who might be considering it. By the way, can you tell I'm not on the take with money from drug companies? Most of the mainstream media stories you'll hear about this drug will have an obvious pro-drug slant. That's because most of the mainstream media is heavily influenced by pharmaceutical advertising money. I'm not. I don't care if you take Alli or not. Just don't sit on my couch if you do.

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About the author: Mike Adams is a holistic nutritionist with a passion for teaching people how to improve their health He has authored more than 1,500 articles and dozens of reports, guides and interviews on natural health topics, reaching millions of readers with information that is saving lives and improving personal health around the world. Adams is an honest, independent journalist and accepts no money or commissions on the third-party products he writes about or the companies he promotes. In 2007, Adams launched EcoLEDs, a manufacturer of mercury-free, energy-efficient LED lighting products that save electricity and help prevent global warming. He's also a noted pioneer in the email marketing software industry, having been the first to launch an HTML email newsletter technology that has grown to become a standard in the industry. Adams volunteers his time to serve as the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and practices nature photography, Capoeira, Pilates and organic gardening. Known by his callsign, the 'Health Ranger,' Adams posts his missions statements, health statistics and health photos at www.HealthRanger.org

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