Alli vs. Xenical Diet Pills: What’s the Difference?

As more people try to find new ways to lose weight-and forego a balanced diet program in favor of a quick fix-diet pills continue to dominate the $1 billion+ weight loss and diet industries. Alli is a recent addition to the over-the-counter drug pill brands, offering a powerful fat-blocker to reduce fatty deposits in the body. Since Alli requires no prescription, it is easily available to those who have not received physician's approval to take diet pills or drugs for weight loss. Xenical, another leading diet pill on the market, does require a presecription and is more difficult to obtain.

Alli was first approved by the FDA in February 2007, and has since been marketed heavily with glossy ads, in-store displays, and attractive television advertisements. It was previously available by prescription when it was introduced to the market in 1999, but has now moved into supermarket and drugstore shelves. The New York Times reports that:

"The manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline, said it planned to sell the medication for $1 to $2 for a day's dose. The company has predicted that five million to six million people a year will use the drug."

Xenical has also been available since 1999, and contains orlistat that blocks fat absorbed in the intestines, and promises to decrease fat absorption by as much as 30 percent.

Alli vs. Xenical: Key Differences

Both Alli and Xenical attempt to encourage weight loss by blocking fat, but Xenical offers a much higher potency with its 120 milligram dosage; Alli is administered at 60 milligrams. The fat is blocked and removed from the body through the digestive system, but both programs require eating a low-calorie diet and maintaining a healthy exercise regiment in order for it to work effectively.

Side effects should also be taken into consideration. Since the fat is absorbed from food, it must be transported out of the body through the bowels; this can easily lead to indigestion, diarrhea, irregular bowel movements, and other digestive problems if too much food is eaten at a time. Both Alli and Xenical also absorb some necessary fat soluble vitamins from each meal, which can result in nutritional deficiency. While the drug makers recommend taking a multivitamin along with the weight loss aid, most vitamins cannot be absorbed by the body as readily as those found in real food.

Alli is available in a starter ‘kit' that helps people start slowly with the program and slowly build up their complete weight loss plan over a period of a few weeks. A low fat, low-calorie diet along with exercise is recommended, especially since Alli can only promote fat loss because it eliminates the chances of the body absorbing fat from food eaten--the rest is up to the dieter, since Alli doesn't contain appetite suppressants, stimulants, or any form of metabolic enhancers to simply burn calories.

Xenical offers a more powerful version of Alli, with similar results and perhaps increased side effects. Since it does require a formal prescription, Xenical will be more appropriate for the severely obese and overweight.

Bottom line: Blocking fat out of the diet, but continuing to eat high-calorie and unhealthy foods will simply lead to poor eating practices in the long term. Choosing a healthy lifestyle often involves more than a quick fix using a diet pill; nutritious foods on a daily basis, a steady exercise plan, and eating a balanced diet can offer a natural and healthier approach to weight loss-without potentially harmful side effects of fat-blocking diet pills.