Because it's been approved by the FDA, people think it's safe. But if patients are already at a healthy weight and are using Alli as part of their eating disorder, then it is not safe.

It can make an eating disorder even worse because it magnifies symptoms these patients already have, says Randall Flanery, Ph.D., who also is an adjunct associate professor at Saint Louis University School of Medicine.

One of the main side effects of Alli is diarrhea.

For someone who has been abusing laxatives, diarrhea is no big deal.

What might be a more discouraging side effect for a healthier individual becomes an attraction for someone who has a serious eating disorder.

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After reviewing the findings, Lawrence Cheskin, M.D. said, There's surprisingly little in the way of studies to draw any hard and fast conclusions. Cheskin is director of the Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center and associate professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore. He was not involved with the review.

Low glycemic index diets can be effective for weight management, Cheskin said, but the success of low glycemic diets lies with an individual's willingness to comply with its nutritional principles.

There aren't many people who need to lose weight who are willing to eat lots of vegetables and whole grains. If they did, they wouldn't have a weight problem in the first place, Cheskin said.

Nevertheless, he said, choosing foods low on the glycemic index does have value for overweight or obese people who want to lose weight.

It uses a lot of the generally healthful principles, such as eating lots of vegetables and high fiber and avoiding very energy-dense foods that are high in simple sugars and simple carbohydrates, Cheskin said.

Thomas, DE, Elliott EJ, Baur L. Low glycaemic index or low glycaemic load diets for overweight and obesity. (Review). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2007, Issue 3.

The Cochrane Collaboration is an international nonprofit, independent organization that produces and disseminates systematic reviews of health care interventions and promotes the search for evidence in the form of clinical trials and other studies of interventions. Visit cochrane for more information.

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