Losing The Extra Poundage Through Hoodia Gordonii
Sunday, November 11th, 2007Hoodia gordonii is a tender cactus-like plant that is found mostly in the arid regions of Botswana, Namibia, Angola and South Africa.
For the past decade, this plant has become popular in the West, and is widely marketed for its weight loss properties. The market for diet pills has been relatively soaring lately, though the ban on the use of ephedra has slightly reversed the trend, new diet pills have been introduced, and Hoodia Gordonii has been one of them.
What Makes Hoodia So Popular
Most of hoodia’s fame comes from claims that Bushmen in the Kalahari desert have relied on the plant for decades to ward off hunger and thirst during long hunting trips. Tribesmen and their families have been known to cut off the stem and eat the plant, which has a bitter taste. The plant grows in clumps of green upright stems, and though it is often called a cactus since it resembles one, hoodia is actually a succulent plant. It takes about five years before hoodia gordonii can be fully harvested. The only major, weight-suppressing ingredient identified so far is an element called “p57″. At present, only hoodia gordonii is the diet-suppressant proven to contain p57.
How Hoodia Works On The Body
The supplement’s effects with regard to reversing obesity are very significant. Recent animal studies using rats have indicated that hoodia gordonii has shown a major reduction in calorie consumption among rats given the samples. In addition, one major study conducted on obese individuals saw a reduction in average daily calorie intake by about 1,000 calories on the 15th day.
Further studies are still being conducted, and more research is needed to analyze the immediate and long term effects, as well as the safety of hoodia. However, current research has found that there are no known immediate or long-term side effects when taking the supplements.
Scientific Trials Have Indicated Hoodia’s Effectiveness
In a major study published in the September 2004 issue of Brain Research, the findings revealed that injections of p57 into the appetite center of rat brains had resulted in altered levels of ATP, which is an energy molecule that may affect hunger, and alter appetite.
The animals that received the P57 injections also ate less than rats that got placebo injections. The drug’s initial manufacturer, Phytopharm, has cited a major clinical trial, which involved 18 human volunteers, and found that regular gordonii consumption did reduce food intake by about 1000 calories per day, as compared to a placebo group. Although puzzling, the study was never published or subjected to peer reviews, so the quality of the study cannot be fully evaluated yet.
The supplement was initially introduced in the US market in early 2004, and a lot of medical research has yet to be done before truly understanding the full implications of hoodia in reducing fat and suppressing diets. Consumers, however are advised to use caution in selecting good- quality hoodia supplement, and ensure that the products they purchase are produced by reputable firms. For best results, check on the the US FDA website, and literature provided by consumer-safety groups, to ascertain the efficacy of the products sold.
Hoodia Store - http://hoodiastore.org
Vanessa A. Doctor