Can popping pills really help you lose weight? 

But do slimming pills really work? Currently in the UK, there are only two anti-obesity drugs available on prescription; Xenical (Orlistat) and Reductil (Sibutramine). These work in completely different ways. Xenical blocks the action of lipase, the enzyme that digests fat in the intestine and stops around 30 percent of the fat you have eaten from being absorbed. As a result, your body loses around a third of the calories provided by this fat so you start to lose weight! In contrast, Reductil enhances satiety by indirectly boosting levels of serotonin, a chemical that helps you feel full. This means you feel more satisfied with less food and so eat smaller amounts and lose weight.

The good news is that, unlike many of the slimming pills you can buy at your local health store, Xenical and Reductil are both clinically proven to help people lose weight and generally receive the support of most health professionals. Carey Halls, information pharmacist at the National Pharmaceutical Association believes there is a very good case for using these prescribable drugs with people who are obese and meet certain medical criteria. She says, Many clinical trials have looked at the efficacy of Xenical and Reductil in the treatment of obesity and found them to successfully help obese people lose weight. But like many health professionals, Carey believes their success in treating obesity is not just the result of their active ingredients, but is also due to the lifestyle advice that patients receive. People who are prescribed Xenical or Reductil are closely monitored by their doctor.

Unfortunately, it is a far cry from the types of slimming pill you can buy over-the-counter in chemists or health stores. In general, there is little evidence that the ingredients they contain will work to help you lose weight. There is not much research to suggest that over-the-counter slimming pills induce weight loss, says Carey. Even if research has been carried out, it’s usually only one or two small studies, the results of which haven’t been repeated or seen in larger studies.

Many over-the-counter slimming tablets also provide very little information on the packaging, often even failing to provide basic facts on how the product supposedly works to aid weight loss. Carey explains, Many of these products are not licensed medicines. This means they are not allowed to make certain claims such as speeds up metabolism or stops fat from being absorbed. This in turn means there’s often a worrying lack of information on the packaging.

A new discovered diet pill that shows great results and has a positive results in obesity treatment is acomplia diet pill manufactured by Sanofi aventis.