Word: diets
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...good to be true? You bet your love handles. Developed by New Jersey- based Hoffmann-La Roche, orlistat (chemical name: tetrahydrolipstati n) shows promise, but its effects are strictly limited and still not completely understood. Preliminary studies suggest that when taken in conjunction with a moderate diet, it can reduce fat uptake in seriously overweight patients up to 270 calories a day -- the equivalent of about one scoop of Haagen-Dazs. The drug is not a panacea. Nor is it anything anybody should consider swallowing just to look better in a bikini...
That was enough, in a recent test, for 100 Americans on a light diet to lose an average of 11 lbs. in three months -- nearly twice as much as control subjects, who were on the same moderate eating regime but were given a placebo. The group taking the orlistat did experience minor but unpleasant side effects, including greasier stools and some diarrhea. It is not known how many of those people gained back the weight they had lost as soon as the trial was over. An ambitious two-year study, involving 4,000 subjects from Europe...
Even if all goes well, it could be years before orlistat gets FDA approval and goes on sale -- by prescription. Researchers warn that it has proved effective only when accompanied by significant changes in diet and exercise and just for a few months. It remains to be seen whether patients will have to stay on the drug indefinitely to maintain their weight loss, and whether some will undo the drug's modest benefits by eating more...
Given the uncertainties -- and the hefty premium Hoffmann-La Roche can be expected to charge for any new diet pill -- medical experts say that use of orlistat should generally be limited to those who need it most. Candidates would include the tens of millions of people who suffer from chronic, intractable obesity and the millions more who are only a few binges away from that plight...
...diet drug takes a fresh approach to cutting calories...