new diet pill.

Alli, which is a low-dose version of Xenical, or orlistat. Testing for Xenical included putting a bunch of people on a diet, exercise, & a-pill-with-each-meal regimen for a year. Those whose pills were Xenical averaged a 10% weight loss for the year (if you started at 200lbs, lose 20). Those whose pills were placebos averaged a 6% weight loss for the year (start at 200lbs, lose 12). Another test with diabetics found the Xenical group lost 6% in a year; the placebo group lost 4%.

Over-the-counter Alli is 1/2 the dose; GlaxoSmithKline says it will increase weight loss by 50%. So if you'd lose 10 lbs on a placebo, you'd lose lose 15lb on Alli.

How it works: It blocks the absorption of about 1/4 of the fat eaten in any particular meal, so it gets passed on through...which can cause what are politely termed, "loose stools", "gastric discomfort", and "some oily spotting". A low-fat diet is recommended; low-carb might not work so well.

Time for a poll:

[Poll #923412]