Xenical As Good As A Low Carb Diet

Using the weight loss medication Xenical is just as good in helping you to lose weight as following a low carbohydrate diet according to a new research project.

Xenical in conjunction with a low fat diet was seen to produce similar weight loss, glycemic and serum lipid indicators as those volunteers who followed a low carb ketogenic diet.

Almost 150 volunteers with an average age of 52 and an average BMI of 39.3 took part in this study. They were put into 2 groups, the first of which were told to restrict their carbohydrate intake to only 20g per day and the second of which were told to take 120 mg Xenical 3 times a day for 1 month along with a reduction in fat, cholesterol and calorie intake.

The study which was published in the medical journal Archives of Internal Medicine noted that over the 48 week period of the study most of the weight loss in both groups occurred at the 12 week to 24 week time point and that the peak weight loss was recorded at 24 weeks to 36 weeks. The Xenical and low fat diet also was seen to be effective for the remedy of a number of cardio disease risk factors such as diabetes and the low carbohydrate diet was seen to be slightly more effective for lowering blood pressure.

Both of the diets had slight gastrointestinal adverse effects with diarrhea being reported in some cases when using the Xenical and constipation being reported when on the low carbohydrate diet. It is important that when either using Xenical or going on a low carbohydrate diet you make sure you eat healthily to minimise the adverse events. With Xenical use you should stay away from high fat items and on a low carbohydrate diet you should drink a lot of water and increase your fibre intake.

The researchers said that this study underlined how effective intensive dietary counseling and proper medical advice could be in getting the most out of weight loss treatments such as Xenical and minimising side effects from them.

Xenical is an inhibitor of gastrointestinal lipases, which prevent the body to absorb the fat contained in the eaten food. Xenical is used in the treatment of obesity, in particular, to reduce and maintain body weight in combination with low-calorie diet.

What should be discussed with the healthcare provider before taking Xenical?

Do not take Xenical without first consulting a doctor in the following cases:

• chronic malabsorption syndrome
• gallbladder diseases
• kidney stones
• diabetes
• eating disorder (anorexia or bulimia)
• if you are taking any other medicines for weight loss
• if you are on immunosuppressive therapy.

In these cases, Xenical should not be taken (the dosage should be decreased or the medicine should be taken under medical supervision).

According to the FDA classification, Xenical belongs to the category B. This means that Xenical should not harm the health and development of the unborn child. However, this medicine is not recommended to take during pregnancy without first consulting your doctor.

It is not known whether Xenical passes into breast milk, thus breastfeeding women must also consult a doctor before taking Xenical.

Xenical is usually taken with each meal containing fat, during the meal or not later than one hour after meals, 120 mg 3 times a day.

Xenical should be taken only with food, in which fat provides no more than 30% of calories.