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Diet pills: dangerous or necessary?

The first pharmacy-only weight-loss aid hits the market in April. Touted as an anti-obesity wonder drug, Alli boasts that it can help people lose 50 per cent more weight than by dieting alone. Is this the answer to weight loss?

The drug does have some side effects; if a user continues to eat a high-fat diet while using Alli, increased flatulence and rectal discharge (very soft stools) will occur.

So is a quick fix in the form of drugs really the answer to the obesity battle or would people be better off following the slow and steady route of a simple healthy diet?

Alli is targeted at customers with a BMI of over 28kg or more and pharmacists are being trained to make sure it goes to the right people, but will this be enough to stop those hell-bent on weight loss, such those with eating disorders, from getting hold of the product?

Alli works by preventing some of the fat from the foods we eat from being absorbed, but wouldn't it be more sensible for the person involved to eat less fat?

Maybe you think weight-loss drugs available over the counter are just what is needed to make a dent in the obesity battle.

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