Xenical

Orlistat (marketed as Xenical by Roche), also known as tetrahydrolipstatin, is a drug designed to treat obesity. According to Wikipedia.org: Its primary function is preventing the absorption of fats from the human diet, thereby reducing caloric intake. It is intended for use in conjunction with a physician-supervised reduced calorie diet.

Orlistat is the saturated derivative of lipstatin. Lipstatin was isolated from Streptomyces toxytricini and is also a potent inhibitor of pancreatic lipases. However, due to simplicity and stability, orlistat rather than lipstatin was developed into an anti-obesity drug.

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Side effects of Xenical

The primary side effects of the Xenical are gastrointestinal-related. Side effects are most severe within the first year of therapy. Because orlistat's main effect is to prevent dietary fat from being absorbed, the fat is excreted unchanged in the feces and so the stool may become oily or loose. Increased flatulence is also common. Bowel movements may become frequent or urgent. Rare occurrence of fecal incontinence have been seen in clinical trials. To minimize these effects, foods with high fat content should be avoided.

The absorption of fat-soluble vitamins and other fat-soluble nutrients are inhibited by the use of orlistat. A multivitamin tablet containing these vitamins (A, D, E, K, and beta-carotene) should be taken once a day, at least 2 hours before or after taking the drug.

Despite claims that orlistat increases the risk of breast cancer amongst clinicial trial participants, there is evidence to suggest that the introduction of specific varied preparations containing orlistat can induce cell death in tumor cells and block their growth.

A recent animal study addressed a connection orlistat shares with aberrant crypt foci (ACF) in the colon, which is believed to be one of the earliest precursors of colon cancer.

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Linked from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xenical
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