The FDA has approved a new over-the-counter weight loss drug called alli (orlistat) that is designed to absorb 25% of the fat from your meal. However, nutrition and fitness expert Dr. Len Lopez, author of "To Burn or Not to Burn, Fat is the Question" shares his reasons why the new approved weight loss drug may not be beneficial to your health.

New research is showing that medications don't make us healthier. Research is showing that losing weight with medications doesn't decrease the rate of heart attacks, strokes or diabetes. Add that to the fact that your body loses nutrients with these medications and you can easily see how these new weight loss drugs can hamper your health. Dr. Lopez discusses practical steps to losing weight which includes diet and exercise, but also covers how stress and adrenal fatigue can disrupt our hormones, such as cortisol and adrenaline. These hormonal imbalances can throw off our metabolism and take us out of our fat burning mode.

Both of Dr.Lopez's books cover a good deal of information to understand how we can correct our imbalances in piecing together the weight loss puzzle. His knowledge explores the roles of insulin and cortisol in weight gain, cravings, fatigue and more. He also explains how stress can take you out of your fat burning zone and helps you regain your blood sugar balance, as well as implementing the "Five and Two" dieting plan.

Say NO to the weight loss drugs and say YES to the empowering knowledge Dr. Lopez has to share.

An enzyme named eIF2alpha kinase (GCN2) was shown to profoundly regulate fat metabolism in mice.

Scientists provoked the mice into starvation mode by removing a single amino acid named leucine from their diets. By doing this, the body represses fat synthesis and consumes virtually all of its stored fat. After 17 days of a leucine-deficient diet, the mice with GCN2 lost 48% of their liver mass and 97% of the fat from their abdomens. In contrast, the mice without GCN2 kept a steady liver mass and lost only 69% of abdominal body fat.

The mice without GCN2 did not lose as much fat as the mice with GCN2. Furthermore, they developed symptoms that could lead to fatty liver disease. In most events of rapid weight loss, the liver tends to take a beating. However, the fastidious weight loss in the mice with GCN2 occurred because of the repressed synthesis of new fats coupled with the depletion of stored fats. This says a lot for safe handling when it comes to teamwork.

Overeating can shut down a natural brain function that is key to preventing common cardiovascular and diabetic diseases..

Researchers found that chronic overeating can overwhelm the neural pathway that regulates the amount of fats flowing into the bloodstream from the liver. The liver is partly responsible for regulating fats entering the blood stream. It produces triglyceride fats the body can turn into LDL (bad) cholesterol, which can cause arteriosclerosis and blood vessel blockage. Glucose can enter the brain when levels are elevated in the bloodstream. When glucose enters the brain, it is broken down into an acidic substance known as lactate. Lactate signals the liver to stop making fat. It appears that chronic overeating can overwhelm the brain's ability to metabolize glucose into lactate. When lactate is no longer produced -- the signal to stop the liver from releasing fat into the blood stops, too. As small arteries get clogged, they create the circulatory problems common in type 2 diabetes, linked to overeating, obesity, and limb amputations.

Smaller portions, less glucose in the brain, better traffic flow. After all - nobody likes getting mixed signals. Let's do all we can to keep the lines of communimcation (and our arteries) open.

The journal Diabetes Care reports obese adults who lost a substantial amount of weight through lifestyle modification and dieting regained less weight when they took the diet drug Xenical, This approach was also associated with a reduced occurrence of type 2 diabetes.

Xenical burns fat while you are eating by inhibiting the absorption of dietary fat from your food. Studies have shown that the drug promotes more weight loss than lifestyle modification alone. The study examined the effectst of Xenical in preventing weight regain in 383 obese adults who had lost an average of 31.7 pounds (14.4 kg) on an 8-week protein-rich, very-low-energy diet. The 309 participants who lost 5% or more of their bodyweight then received lifestyle counseling for 3 years while taking either Xenical or a placebo pill daily. Both groups regained some weight. Xenical patients regained an average of 10 pounds, while placebo patients put back an average of 15 pounds.

Most importantly, during the 3-year study period only 8 of 153 in the Xenical group developed type 2 diabetes compared with 17 of 156 in the placebo group. That's remarkable. Twice as many people were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, in addition to regaining one and a half times the weight. As an aside (and not to be a whistleblower) but one of the warnings on the label says the drug should not be taken for more than 2 years. Just an FYI.