| Glaxo Weight-Loss Drug Cleared
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr) said the Food and Drug Administration approved its over-the-counter version of a prescription obesity-fighting drug. The drug, called Alli, should be available this summer. Alli is a reduced-strength version of Xenical, which is made and sold by Roche. Xenical was approved by the FDA in 1999, and Roche will continue to sell the prescription drug. For investors, Alli has been a source of anxiety because GlaxoSmithKline's application had been under review for an extended period of time. Two federal advisory panels endorsed the drug 13 months ago, and the FDA granted conditional approval last April. Convincing the FDA to approve a switch from prescription to OTC status isn't easy. Companies must convince the agency that consumers won't abuse a product even in its reduced-potency form.
What Kind Of Dieter Are You?
Everyday it seems, we hear stories about people who joined a weight loss program, lost weight and look great! Before and after photographs provide dramatic proof that yes, these programs do work. But how do you decide which weight loss program is best for you, and make it work? First, you have to remember that the aim of a weight loss program is to take weight off and KEEP IT OFF. Yo-yo dieting puts stress on your body that can make losing weight harder and harder and packing it back on far too easy. It's important to choose a diet plan that will help you make changes to your eating habits that will last a lifetime. .
Study finds dieting, exercise equally good at taking off pounds
WASHINGTON -- Eating less and exercising more are equally good at helping take off the pounds, US researchers said yesterday in a study that challenges many of the popular tenets of the multibillion-dollar diet and fitness industry. Tests on overweight people show that a calorie is just a calorie, whether lost by dieting or by running, they said. They found there is no way to selectively lose belly fat, for instance, or trim thighs. And their carefully controlled study bolstered evidence that adding muscle mass does not boost metabolism and help dieters take off even more weight. "It's all about the calories," said Dr. Eric Ravussin of Pennington Biomedical Research Center, part of Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. "So long as the energy deficit is the same, body weight, fat weight, and abdominal fat will all decrease in the same way." Ravussin said the study, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, is one of the few done under controlled conditions that can actually demonstrate what happens to a human body while dieting and exercising.
Scam Alert: Diet Pills May Be Extremely Costly
(CBS) NEW YORK For millions of Americans, diet and exercise just doesn't cut it, which is why the diet pill business is booming and leaving plenty of room for manufacturers to make weighty promises. But CBS 2's Consumer Reporter Kirstin Cole has a warning about a diet aid thats only helping to lighten a dieter's wallet. "I received this email soliciting me to try this new diet aid," explains Theresa Reinhardt about an offers she says she couldn't refuse. "It was a free trial," she says. The free pills, called Phentrazine, promised to work like the powerful prescription drug, Phentermine, by increasing metabolism while suppressing the appetite. There is some evidence that green tea may help you with weight loss, but can Phentrazine really increase your metabolic rate by more than 75 percent and help you drop as much as 19 percent in total body fat, as the manufacturer claims? "Slim chance, "says Tod Cooperman, with the independent supplement testing firm, Consumer Lab.
California Schools Put Students on a Healthy Diet
Childhood obesity in the United States has now reached what many are calling epidemic proportions. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 35 percent of all American children are overweight. Many of them will develop diabetes by the time they finish high school. Since many youngsters eat lunch, and sometimes breakfast at school, the city of Berkeley, California, has decided to take action against obesity in its school cafeterias. It has overhauled its entire menu, replacing typical pizza, fried foods, and high calorie items with healthier choices, such as fresh organic fruits and vegetables, and whole grains. At Berkeley High School, kitchen manager William Harris shows off the variety. "Right here, we're doing hamburgers and hot dogs and veggie burgers. It's all grass-fed beef." He points to another display area.
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