Can OTCPills Work Better Than Diet Drugs? (NAPSA)—Dieters may be interested to know that an overthe-counter weight loss pill may deliver better results than the best-known diet drug prescribed by doctors, say hospital researchers. In a clinical study, accepted for publication in the Journal ofStrength and Conditioning Research, overweight people who took Xenadrine, one of the nation’s most popular overthe-counter diet supplements, lost significantly more weight than those taking Xenical(Orlistat), one of the most commonly prescribed diet drugs in the United States. This may be thefirst time that an independent medical study has concluded that a nonprescription diet treatment can work better than a diet drug that requires a doctor’s prescription. Medical specialists at the accredited Peak Wellness Foundation in Greenwich, Connecticut, studied two groups of randomly selected, “healthy overweight” women age 21 to 45 over a 12- weekperiod. One group was given Xenadrine while the other group got the prescription “fat-blocker” Xenical (Orlistat). All participants were required to follow a mildly low calorie diet, a three-day-per-week exercise program and take vitamin and mineral supplements. According to researchers, participants taking Xenadrinelost an average of 10 pounds compared to Xenical prescription patients who lost an averageof less than four pounds. In one case, a woman taking Xenadrine lost more than 19 pounds. A patient taking the prescription drug actually gained weight. As a result, Dr. Carlon M. Colker, the lead researcher of the study, stated that “the natural Xenadrine product appears to be more effective as a weight loss agent than the tested prescription fat-blocking agent.” An over-the-counter diet supplement may be a more efficient weight loss tool than a prescription drug, says a recent survey. Xenadrine users experienced other benefits. Patients taking Xenical reported experiencing side effects, particularly uncontrollable bowel movements. None of the study participants taking Xenadrine reported such side effects, however, some said they had more energy than usual, which helped them with the exercise program. Study results were reported at the recent National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. The study was one of several which documented Xenadrine’s efficacy as a weight-loss agent, but the first to compare it with a pharmaceutical drug. According to officials at Cytodyne Technologies, makers of Xenadrine, additional comparative studies are planned. Cytodyne Technologies (www. cytodyne.com) is a leading pharmaceutical-grade supplement company. The Peak Wellness Foundation is a traditional medicine and integrative medicine multidisciplinary wellness center.
