Can you lose weight with this miracle cactus?

Americans are the most self-conscience people in the world. It is easy to see why we are self-conscience of our appearance. Everywhere we go we are reminded of flawless airbrushed perfection on commercials, billboards and magazines. Foreigners are often astounded by how fat most Americans are. We love to eat yet want to look like supermodels. You can’t have your cake and eat it too! Luckily, some of our brightest scientists are hard at work developing additives and medications to help us lose weight. Once such dietary supplement is known as Hoodia.

The History and Use of Hoodia

Hoodia is classified as a dietary supplement as is not approved by Food and Drug Administration. The term supplement infers that the drug does not prevent or cure any illness. Just like vitamins, Hoodia is supposed to enhance your regular diet. Hoodia is a small cactus like plant that grows on the African plains near the Namib Desert in Angola and Namibia. There are 13 known species of Hoodia each with their own distinct medicinal properties. For thousands of years tribesmen in Africa have used Hoodia to starve off hunger during long hunts or periods of famine. Hoodia has also been known to have a calming effect on the body and can be used to treat indigestion or small infections.

The supplement Hoodia helps consumers lose weight by tricking the brain into thinking the stomach is full. When the brain thinks the stomach is full it will not trigger the sensation of hunger. People lose weight simply by not eating.

The Science Behind Hoodia

Hoodia has been marketed in the United States as a weight loss supplement for around 50 years but only in the past 5 years or so has the supplement gained widespread exposure. Of the 13 species of Hoodia, only Hoodia Gordonii is known to contain large amounts the appetite-suppressing ingredient known as P57. Almost all Hoodia supplements on the market are from the Hoodia Gordonii species. Consumers should always check the ingredients to make sure the active ingredient is P57 and is from the Hoodia Gordonii species. Any other variety will only cause a placebo effect.

As of March 2008, there have been no scientific studies on humans to determine the effect of Hoodia. There have been some studies on rats with positive results. Some rats reduced their intake of food to the equivalent of 1000 calories a day in humans. However, researchers in the study agree that the drug is easily broken down in the liver and would take a large does in humans to produce a significant effect. The drug company, Pfizer, did a study on P57 and indicated that there were some unwanted components within P57 that could not easily be removed that would leave negative effects on the liver.

Common Forms of Hoodia

Consumers can find Hoodia in a variety of forms. Heavy mass marketing and popularity of the product has spawned off many new products. Hoodia can be found in tablets, capsules, liquid pills, coffee and tea products, protein and diet shakes, syrups, powders, energy bars and even lollipops.