Alarm over growing numbers of overweight people in the UK has caused an increased demand for
obesity treatments.
A new diet pill, which has become available in chemists across the UK this week, has been received with caution by industry experts.
The alli diet pill should be used alongside a weight loss programme and should not viewed the same as waving a magic wand to cause weight problems to simply vanish, the British Dietetic Association has advised.
Eating a healthy diet and ensuring that enough exercise is carried out throughout the day are still the best ways to shed the pounds.
Fiona Taylor, a spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association, commented: "It could be a motivator for some people… Those people that haven’t yet got complications from obesity, then that can be seen as positive if we can help those people to just lose a small amount of weight."
A report published in February 2009 by the National Office for Statistics has revealed that 24 per cent of UK adults over the age of 16 are obese.
