Chitosan Vs. Orlistat

There are several different ways diet pills help you lose weight. Some increase metabolism, others decrease appetite. Some increase fiber, while others cause you to eliminate water.

A relatively new method of promoting weight loss is to prevent calories in the food from being taken up at all. The way these "fat blockers" work is to keep the fat in the food from being absorbed into your body. Theoretically, you could eat as much fat as you want without gaining weight with supplements like Chitosan or Orlistat.

How Is Fat Absorbed Into the Body?

• To understand how fat blockers work, it helps to first understand how fat is absorbed into the body. When you eat, food is broken down and absorbed at various stages in your digestive system.

  Fat molecules are broken down with the help of enzymes in the small intestine, located just after the stomach. As the fat molecules pass through the small intestine, they pass over millions of tiny hairlike structures called villli, which are attached to the intestinal wall. These villi absorb the fat, which is then taken up by the blood vessels and redistributed to the body.

  Pills like Chitosan and Orlistat function by preventing these fat molecules from being absorbed, and thus causing the food to pass through undigested.

How Chitosan Works

• Chitosan is derived from chitin, a substance that is found in the shells of crustaceans. Chitin is valued for its absorptive qualities in other uses, like water purification. In the realm of weight loss, the makers of Chitosan products say that the same absorptive qualities apply to fat molecules, and, thus, Chitosan is said to absorb fat, keeping it from being broken down into the size needed to be taken in by the small intestine.

How Orlistat Works

• Orlistat, on the other hand, does not bind or absorb fat. It is derived from lipstatin, a chemical that prevents the function of lipase, an enzyme that breaks down fat for absorption. Thus, its function is to prevent the breakdown of fat, which keeps it from being absorbed, and the fat passes through your system undigested.

Availability and Efficacy

• While Chitosan is available as an over-the-counter supplement, or as an ingredient in other supplements, Orlistat is also available as over-the-counter as Alli, or as the prescription drug Xenical.

  The actual results of Chitosan vary, with its promoters claiming that its absorption action is effective in causing users to lose or maintain their weight, while some studies claim that it has very little, if any, effect.

  Orlistat, on the other hand, has a documented rate of efficacy, though it varies from patient to patient.

Side Effects

• Chitosan seems to have little, if any, side effect, although those with allergies to seafood may experience the same with Chitosan: hives, itching, headaches.

  The side effects of Orlistat include loose, oily stool, and increased urgency and flatulence. Users may also experience fecal incontinence.