Increase text size: A A A

Type in the condition you need,
or visit Advanced Search

Claim your FREE Healthy Living Health Alerts today

Get the latest news on diet, nutrition, exercise, and other lifestyle topics to help you maintain optimal wellness. Get your FREE Healthy Living Health Alerts. Check the “Healthy Living” box below, enter your email address, and click "Send." (Need other health news? Check as many boxes as you like for more FREE Health Alerts.) Benefits of Being A Registered User

Anxiety

Diabetes

Hypertension

Prostate Cancer

Arthritis

Digestion

Lung

Prostatitis

Back Pain

Enlarged Prostate (BPH)

Memory

Stroke

Colon Cancer

Healthy Living

Nutrition

Vision

Depression

Heart

Prescription Drugs

Weight Control

Enter your email here: (Example: yourname@domain.com)
Please send my alerts as: HTML Text

We value your privacy and will never share your email address. Already a Member? Manage your Health Alerts

Print this page

Email this to a friend

Comment on this page

Save to my Health Library

Johns Hopkins Health Alert

Questions on Resistance Training and the Diet Pill Alli

Each issue of our popular Health After 50 newsletter includes House Calls, a lively question and answer column in which Johns Hopkins doctors answer readers’ questions. Here’s a sample.

Q. I’m 72 and reasonably healthy, but I have never lifted weights. Should I start now?

A. Absolutely. Resistance training, which refers to weight lifting and other strength-building exercises, is essential to good health for both men and women at any age and despite many existing medical conditions -- but always talk to your doctor before starting an exercise routine.

If you are healthy, you can partake in a fairly vigorous strength-training program. One example comes from a small study in the International Journal of Sports Medicine. Researchers analyzed the effects of strength training on 24 healthy men and women who were over 75. Participants used a combination of weight machines, dumbbells, and exercise bands to work a variety of muscle groups twice a week for the first three weeks. Then one workout was added per week until exercisers were up to four weekly workouts. After three months, participants lost an average of 8 lbs. of body fat, increased their oxygen uptake by 12%, and increased their strength up to 37% in some muscle groups.

Q. I am about 15 lbs. overweight. Do you recommend the new over-the-counter diet pill Alli?

A. Alli is FDA approved and therefore safe to try to lose weight, but be aware of several things. Alli is made of the same ingredients as prescription Xenical (orlistat), only at half the dose. Orlistat prevents the enzyme lipase from breaking down fat within the intestine, thereby blocking the absorption of approximately 25% of the fat you consume.

However, unpleasant side effects can result when fat lingers in your digestive tract, including frequent, loose bowel movements, foul-smelling stools, flatulence, urges to rush to the bathroom, and oily discharge. Thus, people taking orlistat must also eat a low-fat diet in order to keep undigested fat at a minimum. In stopping the breakdown of fat, orlistat also blocks the absorption of essential, fat-soluble vitamins, which must be replenished by taking a daily multivitamin. And there is the potential for drug interaction with the blood-thinner Coumadin (warfarin), diabetes medications, and immunosuppressant drugs.

Owing to its possible side effects, orlistat may not be ideal for you or others who are otherwise healthy and are looking to drop a small amount of weight -- in those cases, reduced caloric intake and regular exercise will do the trick. Doctors therefore usually recommend orlistat only for people with body weight indexes (BMIs) greater than 30 -- which is considered obese -- or for those who risk weight-related health problems due to diabetes, high blood pressure, or heart disease.

Posted in Healthy Living on March 19, 2008
Reviewed July 2009

Notify Me

Would you like us to inform you when we post new Healthy Living Health Alerts?

Your email address:

Comments

Post a Comment

Health Alerts registered users may post comments and share experiences here at their own discretion. We regret that questions on individual health concerns to the Johns Hopkins editors cannot be answered in this space.

The views expressed here do not constitute medical advice, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins Medicine or MediZine LLC, which has no responsibility for any comments posted on this site.




Post a Comment


New to the Johns Hopkins Health Alerts?
Signup

User Name:


This appears next to your comment.


Email Address:

(this will not be posted)
This will be your login ID.

Password:

Confirm Password:


Receive Health Alerts?

Notify me when new comments are posted?

Comment (offensive materials and/or spam will be removed, no HTML allowed)

Already a subscriber?
Login

Email:

Password:


Forgot your password?

(800) 829-0422

Registered Users Log-in:

Email:

Password:

Remember me
Forgot Password?

Become a Registered User!
It's fast and FREE!
The Benefits of Being A Registered User

Health Topic Pages

Arthritis +Add
Back Pain & Osteoporosis +Add
Cancer
Caregivers | Caregiving
Colon Cancer +Add
Complementary Medicine
Depression & Anxiety +Add
Diabetes +Add
Digestive Health +Add
Enlarged Prostate +Add
Exercise and Fitness
Healthy Living +Add
Heart Health +Add
Hypertension & Stroke +Add
Lung Disorders +Add
Memory +Add
Men's Health
Nutrition +Add
Prescription Drugs +Add
Prostate Disorders +Add
Sexual Health
Vision +Add
Weight Control +Add
Women's Health
Health Alert Special Report


Get yours FREE: Seven Keys to Reduce Cholesterol

FREE Johns Hopkins Special Report: Seven Keys to Reduce Cholesterol

PLUS FREE Johns Hopkins
Heart Health Alerts!

YES! Send me my FREE Special Report and FREE Health Alerts



Johns Hopkins’ Bestsellers

Healthy Living

Our Featured Titles:

The Johns Hopkins Heart Bulletin

  • The Johns Hopkins Heart Bulletin
    A must-have health journal for anyone concerned about their heart health. Each packed quarterly issue brings you the latest research and findings on coronary heart disease, including the latest breakthroughs on such conditions as: coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, angina, atrial fibrilliation and other arrhythmias, pacemakers and defibrillators, and many other cardiac conditions and their treatments. Heart attack prevention, diet, weight loss, smoking cessation, how to reduce cholesterol, and other heart health concerns are also covered in-depth.Subscribe now, and you’ll also get a FREE Cardiac Glossary, PLUS 4 FREE Johns Hopkins Heart Health Special Reports, all available as instant downloads.Read more...

    Johns Hopkins Heart Attack Prevention White Paper
  • 2009 Heart Attack Prevention White Paper
    Featured highlights for 2008 include:
    PLUS, get your special discount and FREE Special Report: Tested, Proven Ways to Save Your Heart through this exclusive web-only offer.
    Read more or order the INSTANT PDF DOWNLOAD EDITION
    Read more or order the PRINT EDITION


  • Other Healthy Living Titles:

  • Johns Hopkins Recipes for a Healthy Heart
    Over the years, research has shown us that diet and exercise play an important role in the prevention of heart disease. Hopkins experts...Read more…

  • 2009 Hypertension and Stroke White Paper
    Explains how to treat your high blood pressure and prevent it from harming your health. Read more...

  • The Johns Hopkins Medical Letter: Health After 50
    You won't find a more authoritative source for the most current health news. Since 1988, Hopkins experts have been reporting on the latest cutting edge information on treating the major medical conditions affecting the over 50s. Women's health, men's medical concerns, nutrition, weight control, and more, direct to you every month from our specialists. Read more, send for a FREE trial issue, or ORDER NOW and receive two FREE Special Reports

    Reference Books

  • The Johns Hopkins Medical Guide to Health After 50
    A comprehensive home medical encyclopedia that gives you a "crash course" on more than 100 major medical concerns of men and women over 50, organized in an easy-to-use A to Z format. Read more…

  • Johns Hopkins Symptoms and Remedies
    This easy-to-use reference book can help you pinpoint the causes of hundreds of disorders, from abdominal pain to skin rash to swollen glands. Read more...

  • The Johns Hopkins Consumer Guide to Drugs
    Covers hundreds of the most commonly prescribed drugs for people over 50. Read more or order....
  • Please send me The Johns Hopkins Consumer Guide to Drugs



    Yes! Please send me The Johns Hopkins Consumer Guide to Drugs for just $29.97, plus shipping and handling. I may review it risk-FREE for 30 days. If not completely satisfied, I may return the book, no questions asked.


    A contemporary drug encyclopedia for your home with the authority of America's #1 medical center behind it.

  • Has your pharmacy given you the right medication?
  • Are there alternate drugs for your condition that might have fewer side effects?
  • Is an herbal supplement likely to interact adversely with your medications?

    This fully illustrated guide contains drug profiles on more than 750 medications—both prescription and over-the-counter, mostly commonly prescribed for the over 50 population. It also includes a guide to dietary supplements.

    Order today! Because you owe it to yourself to know everything you can about the medicines you take.


  • Risk-FREE.
    Fill out the form and click "Submit my order."

    First Name

    Last Name

    Address

    Address2

    City

    State

    Zip

    Email Address (required)

    Please send me FREE monthly Johns Hopkins Healthy Living Health Alerts

    Your risk-free review. Yours to review risk-free. If you are not satisfied with The Johns Hopkins Consumer Guide to Drugs for any reason, simply return the book, no questions asked.

    Why Johns Hopkins?



    © 2009 MediZine LLC. All rights reserved.
    Contact Us
    customerservice@johnshopkinshealthalerts.com