In the United States, more than one-third of adults are obese. The numbers for the Philippines are lower, but are increasing at a rate that is worrying to Philippine health officials. In 2008, just under 27% of Filipino adults were classified as overweight, with 5.2% classified as obese.
Roche, the manufacturer of the weight loss drug Xenical recently launched a campaign aimed at Filipino adults who want to lose weight. The campaign, called “Rock the Fat Away” takes aim at “natural remedies” that make unsubstantiated claims about promoting weight loss.
“Natural” Remedies and their Shortcomings
Products like “slimming teas” and herbal compounds, many of which contain a natural laxative called senna, claim to help in weight loss. But the companies producing and marketing these products don’t back up their claims with rigorous scientific studies, and they either ignore or gloss over possible dangers.
For example, some “natural” diet products have been found to contain a drug called sibutramine — something that was actually pulled from the market in the US in 2010. Others contain phenolphthalein, a laxative that is suspected of causing cancer.
“Rock the Fat Away” was designed to help overweight Filipino adults understand the science behind weight gain and weight loss and the dangers of many “natural” weight loss products. The campaign is a partnership between Roche and the Philippine Association for the Study of Overweight and Obesity (PASOO).
Xenical’s Club New You
As part of the campaign, Roche created “Club New You,” an online destination where adults can learn about weight loss, and earn virtual “points” that can be accumulated and used for things like free fitness classes, free beauty treatments, and even free Xenical. By entering promo codes on specially marked Xenical packs, Club New You members can access various perks and rewards from merchant partners.
The main message of “Rock the Fat Away” is that maintaining a healthy weight requires lifestyle changes, rather than unproven fad diets and supplements, as seen in this promotional video for Club New You.
How Xenical Works
Xenical works by binding to some fat molecules in the foods that people consume, a process that prevents absorption of those fats. In other words, when a person takes Xenical, some of the fats he or she consumes go right through the digestive system without being absorbed. As you might expect, undigested fats can cause side effects like oily discharge, but this effect prompts users of Xenical to consume less fat in their diets, further promoting weight loss. Right now, Xenical is the only weight loss drug approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for long-term use.
Xenical and Lifestyle Changes
With “Rock the Fat Away,” Roche and Xenical hope to counter myths about weight loss in the Filipino population and inform overweight Filipinos about the science behind Xenical. Xenical works best and has the fewest side effects when it’s taken along with a low-fat diet. Dieters must maintain their low-fat eating habits for as long as they take Xenical. The result is eating habits that can help maintain a healthy weight, even if a person stops taking Xenical.
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Photo Credit: Michelle Meiklejohn / freedigitalphotos.net
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