Alli boosts weight loss and reduces excess visceral fat

New studies show that overweight and obese people using alli® (orlistat 60 mg) with a reduced calorie, lower-fat diet can significantly reduce weight, visceral fat, and waist circumference and therefore may reduce their risk of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and stroke. The studies were presented at the 1st International Congress on Abdominal Obesity in Hong Kong earlier today.

alli is the only FDA-approved OTC weight loss aid that is clinically proven to boost weight loss by 50 percent and significantly reduce excess visceral fat. Working in the digestive tract, alli prevents about 25 percent of the fat that a person eats from being absorbed.

Visceral fat is a dangerous type of fat that surrounds the vital organs in the abdomen and when present in excess disrupts the normal functioning of organs, increasing the risk of life-threatening diseases. Even modest weight loss can result in significant reductions in visceral fat and substantially improve health. In fact, when losing weight, visceral fat is among the first fat lost, which is associated with noticeable health benefits such as reductions in total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL). This helps reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and stroke. It is these health complications that have a high personal and societal toll and impact in the global obesity epidemic.

"Although most individuals try to lose weight to improve their appearance, it's important to help them understand that losing excess fat reduces their risks of life-threatening diseases," said Jeanine Albu, M.D., Senior Attending in Medicine, Associate Chief of the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition and the Chief of the Metabolism and Diabetes Clinic at the St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York.

"We need to raise awareness of the direct link between visceral fat on the inside and heart disease and diabetes," said Dr. Albu. "Through healthy eating, keeping active and treatments such as alli, people can lose 5 to 10 percent of total body weight - including visceral fat - and achieve and maintain their healthy weight."

In two of the studies presented at the congress, alli was evaluated to determine its effect on excess visceral fat. This new body of evidence proves that alli significantly reduces weight and dangerous visceral fat to help people improve their health.

The Visceral Fat Imaging Study
The three-month Visceral Fat Imaging Study demonstrated that alli reduced total body weight by 5.6 percent and visceral fat by 10.6 percent versus amounts at the start of the study in overweight and obese adults on a reduced calorie, lower-fat diet (P<0.0225). Carried out at Europe's largest imaging center, the Clinical Imaging Centre in Hammersmith Hospital, UK, the study used MRI technology that showed changes taking place inside people's bodies as they lost weight in a unique way.

Twenty-six study participants were counseled to follow a reduced calorie, lower-fat diet, and then took alli three times per day for 12 weeks. Results also showed that at week 12 alli significantly reduced waist circumference (the measurement around the waistline), the best practical way to assess visceral fat, by 5 cm (2 inches).

The Visceral Fat Multi-Center Study
In the six-month Visceral Fat Multi-Center Study, overweight and obese adults receiving alli while on a reduced calorie, lower-fat diet had significantly greater improvements in visceral fat than those treated with diet alone.

In this study, 123 participants were randomly assigned to receive either alli three times per day or a placebo, along with recommendations to follow a reduced calorie, lower-fat diet, for 24 weeks. At week 24, statistically significant reductions in visceral fat and body weight were observed in both groups; however, the reduction was significantly higher among patients taking alli. Mean reductions in visceral fat were 15.66 percent for alli versus 9.39 percent for placebo (P<0.0001); mean reductions in body weight were 5.96 kg versus 3.91 kg, respectively (P<0.05).

Overweight and obese people enrolled in the Visceral Fat Imaging Study and Visceral Fat Multi-Center Study had a body mass index (BMI) of 25-35 kg/m2, with a waist circumference greater than 88 cm (34.64 inches) for women or 102 cm (40.16 inches) for men at the start of the studies. Use of alli in both studies was shown to be generally well tolerated and consistent with the known safety profile.

alli is marketed by GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare for use by overweight adults along with a reduced calorie, lower-fat diet. People interested in losing weight can access interactive tools, lower-fat recipes, physical activity tips and other useful information for leading a healthy life at www.myalli.com.