Encyclopedia of Diets - A Guide to Health and Nutrition

Parental concerns

Chemicals found in foods may have a greater
effect on the growth and development of younger
children than older ones. Young children are rapidly
growing while still developing their nervous system,
immune system, and other organs. Chemicals may
have a greater effect on these developing tissues than
on adult tissues.

Resources

BOOKS
Meyerowitz, Steve.The Organic Food Guide: How to Shop
Smarter and Eat HealthierGuilford, CT: Globe Pequot
Press, 2004.
Fromartz, Samuel.Organic, Inc.: Natural Foods and How
They Grew.Orlando, FL: Harcourt, 2006.
Goodman, Myra, with Linday Holland, and Pamela
McKinstry, Pamela.Food to Live By: The Earthbound
Farm Organic CookbookNew York: Workman Pub.,
2006.
Lipson, Elaine.The Organic Foods Sourcebook.Chicago, IL:
Contemporary Books, 2001.

ORGANIZATIONS
National Organic Program. USDA-AMS-TM-NOP,
ROOM 4008 s. Bldg, Ag Stop 0268, 1400 Independence
Avenue, S.W., Room 1180, Washington, DC 20250.
Telephone: (202)720-3252. Website:http://www
.ams.usda.gov/nop
Organic Trade Association. PO Box 547, Greenfield MA

1302. Telephone: (413) 774-7511. Fax: (413) 774-6432.
      Website:http://www.ota.com

OTHER

Barrett, Stephen. ‘‘‘Organic’ Foods: Certification Does Not
Protect Consumers.’’ Quackwatch, July 17, 2006.
<http://www.quackwatch.org/01Quackery Related
Topics/organic.html>
Mayo Clinic Staff. ‘‘Organic Foods: Are They Safer? More
Nutritious?’’ MayoClinic.com, December 26, 2006.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/organic-food/
NU00255
National Organic Program. ‘‘Organic Food Standards
&Labels: The Facts.’’ United States Department of
Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing Service, January
2007.http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop/Consumers/
brochure.html
Nemours Foundation. ‘‘Organic and Other Environmen-
tally Friendly Foods.’’ March 2007.http://kidshealth
.org/teen/food_fitness/nutrition/organics.html
‘‘Organic Foods in Relation to Nutrition and Health Key
Facts.’’ Medical News Today. July 11, 2004.http://
[http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid](http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid)
=10587
Organic Trade Association. ‘‘Questions and Answers About
Organic.’’ 2003.http://www.ota.com/organic/faq.html

Pames, Robin B. ‘‘How Organic Food Works.’’ How Stuff

Works, undated, accessed April 26, 2007.<http://

home.howstuffworks.com/organic-food.htm;>

Helen M. Davidson

Orlistat

Definition

Orlistat, also known as tetrahydrolipstatin

(THL), is a drug used to treatobesityin conjunction

with a low-calorie,low-fat diet. The anti-obesity drug

is used as a medical aid to lose weight (weight loss) and

to maintain that weight afterwards (weight mainte-

nance). It is classified within the drug class called

lipase inhibitors, where lipase is produced primarily

in the pancreas. Orlistat is a crystalline power that is

whitish in color. Chemically, it is the saturated deriv-

ative of lipstatin, which is isolated fromStreptomyces

toxytricini. The empirical chemical formula for orlistat

is C 29 H 53 NO 5.

The drug orlistat was approved by the U.S. Food

and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1999 for use

within the United States. It was recommended for

obese people with abody mass index(BMI) of more

than 30 kilograms per square meters. It was also rec-

ommended when peoples’ BMI was between 27 and 30

kilograms per square meters and other heath consid-

erations such as high blood pressure, elevated blood

cholesterol, or diabetes were detrimental to their lives.

Medical studies, which paralleled previous conclu-

sions, performed before orlistat was approved by the

FDA found that when taken for six months, adults

lost 12.4 to 13.4 pounds on average. Orlistat is mar-

keted under the prescription name XenicalÒand the

over-the-counter name alliÒ.

Purpose

Orlistat prevents the digestion and absorption of

dietaryfatsinto the bloodstream so that, instead, they

pass through bowel movements within the feces. Con-

sequently, they reduce the amount of calories that go

into the human body. It is often used within a physi-

cian-supervised diet plan for obese people and as a

maintenance plan for formerly obese people after

they have lost weight. It is also used for people desiring

to lose weight when they have such illnesses as diabe-

tes, high cholesterol, heart disease, or high blood

pressure.

Orlistat