Health Issues

When Alli hit the market, obese people everywhere ran out to try this FDA approved miracle drug for weight loss. The general conjecture was the FDA approved it, so it must work, and be safe. Even though the FDA has a pretty poor track record for approving safe medications, people still trust what they say.

Alli works by blocking the fat from being absorbed into the body. If the people taking Alli stick to the diet and exercise program given with the pills, the pill will help them double the weight they lose on their own.

Recently the FDA started investigating Alli and Xenical, the prescription version of Alli, for links to liver damage. There have been 30 cases of liver damage with people on these drugs. The FDA says that they havent established any link between the drug and the liver damage, but they are still reviewing the research information.

GlaxoSmithKline, the company that markets the drug says that they had no incidents of liver damage in the 30,000 people who participated in their studies on the drug. Glaxos spokesperson says that People who are overweight and obese are predisposed to liver-related disorders.

While the information regarding overweight people and liver disease is correct, are the makers of this drug absolutely certain that their drug cannot be blamed? Obese people have many health problems that are caused by their weight, but that is why people are taking this drug. If people on this drug start having heart problems, are the manufacturers going to try to say that it is solely due to their weight?

These pills have not been tested over the long term. The effect of blocking the absorption of fat and minerals on the body hasnt been studied fully. It could very well be causing the liver damage. There is no mistaking the fact that what we ingest takes its toll on our liver.