Adolescent girls who frequently eat meals with their families appear less likely to use diet pills, laxatives or other extreme measures to control their weight five years later, according to a report in the January issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Eating disorders among adolescent girls and boys can have substantial negative impact on their health and lead to dangerous weight-control behaviors, such as self-induced vomiting or abusing laxatives or diet pills to control weight.

Glaxo Smith Kline's Alliâ„¢, the first FDA-approved over-the-counter weight loss pill, hits shelves nationwide this Friday. Whether or not it succeeds depends a large part on its multilingual, multi-million dollar marketing campaign. A new study by Wharton professors and doctors at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine provides applicable new insight into consumer thinking about health remedies.

The first and only over-the-counter product for weight loss approved by the Food and Drug Administration will be available Friday, June 15.

GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare [NYSE: GSK] announces that alliâ„¢, the only FDA-approved over-the-counter weight loss product will be on shelves of pharmacies, grocery stores and mass merchandisers nationwide later this week. alli is designed to be a partner for overweight adults willing to change how they eat and lose weight gradually. Adding alli to diet and exercise can help people lose 50 per cent more weight than with dieting alone.

Steroid use among teen girls is not limited to those involved in competitive athletics and is associated with a cluster of other health-harming behaviors, including smoking and taking diet pills, according to results of a national survey published in the June issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.