Looking for the best Weight Loss Pills?
Then You're Probably Going to Get Ripped Off!

Chinese Scientists "Prove" Tea Can Help Fight Obesity
Xinhua - June 2007

BEIJING - Chinese scientists have proved it -- tea can help make you thin.

Researchers spent five years studying obesity, with the focus on children, the China Daily said.

"They found that the polyphenol compound in tea -- especially Oolong tea -- can help obese people battle the bulge," the newspaper said. "Scientists have proved that drinking tea can help people lose weight." Guo Xirong, director of the Nanjing Institute for Paediatrics, particularly recommends Oolong tea, the newspaper said.

Chinese have long believed in the link between tea and weight loss. "It has been confirmed that the continuous intake of Oolong tea contributes to enhancing the function of fat metabolism and to controlling obesity," it says of a tea produced and consumed primarily in the southeast of the country.

Oolong tea can be either taken in the form of a tea drink or in capsule form. Both offer equal benefits but capsulated Oolong tea is more convenient and affordable.

Better for Weight Loss: Diet or Exercise?
Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism - March 2007

New research published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism reveals that dieting alone is equally effective at reducing weigh and fat as a combination of diet and exercise as long as the calories consumed and burned equal out.

"It's all about the calories," said Dr. Eric Ravussin of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, La., and senior author of the study. "So long as the energy deficit is the same, body weight, fat weight, and abdominal fat will all decrease in the same way."

For the study, the researchers followed 35 overweight (a Body Mass Index greater than 25 but less than 30) but otherwise healthy adults who were randomly assigned to follow one of three diet and exercise combinations during a six-month period. The first group was the control group, and followed a healthy diet designed to maintain the participants' bodyweight. The next group followed a diet that reduced their caloric intake by 25 percent, which equaled between 550 and 900 fewer calories per day. The final group reduced their calorie intake by 12.5 percent while increasing their physical activity to achieve an additional 12.5 percent increase in calorie expenditure.

During the first three months of the study, participants were provided with all meals. Later, participants self-selected a diet based on their individual calorie target, though calorie consumption was still monitored. Participants in the exercise group also underwent a structured exercise regimen 5 days a week. In addition to controlling diet and a guided exercise program, all participants attended weekly meetings to not only teach subjects how to adhere to their meal and exercise plans but also to boost motivation and morale.

Participants in both the calorie restricted group and the exercise group lost approximately 10 percent of their body weight, 24 percent of their fat mass, and 27 percent of their abdominal visceral fat. The distribution of the fat in the body, however, was not altered by either approach.

The researchers did note, however, that exercise improved aerobic fitness, which has other important cardiovascular and metabolic implications. "For overall health, an appropriate program of diet and exercise is still the best," said Ravussin.

GlaxoSmithKline Launches $150 Million Ad Campaign for Weight Loss Drug Alli
American Journal of Medicine - November 2006

The effort for Alli (pronounced like ally) launched on May 22 in New York City. The company took over the vaulted-ceiling main room of 20 Union Square for its multimedia exhibit called Alli Experience. The compound, an attenuated version of prescription drug Xenical (Orlistat 120mg), works by inhibiting the function of intestinal enzymes that facilitate the body's absorption of fat. The company says it blocks the absorption of about a quarter of the fat one consumes. The $150 Million dollar ad campaign is the first installment of a much larger ad campaign being launched by GSK.

"With that much money to spend on an ad campaign these drug companies must have a huge markup on their products" says Garrett De Vor, a consumer health advocate.

Consumers can purchase the Alli starter kit from sites like drugstore.com for $62.99 for a 90-capsule starter pack, per a GSK spokesperson.

Alli side effects include:

• Oily stools. As the Alli weight loss pill reduces the production of an enzyme in the intestine, which converts fatty dietary elements into fatty acids, some fat from digested food may not be processed. As a result the body will find a way to release basic fat content from the body, usually excreted naturally. Due to the nature of the left over substances, stools can often appear oily and emit an unfortunate odor.
• Flatulence. Another means by which the body has been known to release unwanted waste is by flatulence. While this is a totally natural and harmless release, it can prove potentially embarrassing and uncomfortable as the customer may not have full control of their bowels at all times.
• Vitamin deficiency. Even though Alli is specifically structured to take out the fatty content of dietary intake, some vitamins may consist of fatty content, which may not be absorbed into the body. It is therefore recommended that while using taking Alli, the user also takes a daily dose of vitamin tablets.