Information About Hoodia Diet Pills

Hoodia (pronounced HOO-dee-ah) is a cactus-like plant that grows primarily in the semi-deserts of South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, and Angola.

In the last few years, hoodia has been heavily marketed for weight loss and has become immensely popular.

Although there has always been a demand for diet pills, after the ban on the herb ephedra, the market was particularly ripe for the next new diet pill.

Much of hoodia's popularity stems from claims that the San Bushmen of the Kalahari desert relied on hoodia for thousands of years to ward off hunger and thirst during long hunting trips.

They were said to have cut off the stem and eat the bitter-tasting plant.

Hoodia gordonii grows in clumps of green upright stems. Although it is often called a cactus because it resembles one, hoodia is actually a succulent plant.

It takes about five years before hoodia gordonii's pale purple flowers appear and the plant can be harvested.

There are over 13 types of hoodia. The only active ingredient identified so far is a steroidal glycoside that has been called "p57". Currently, only hoodia gordonii is thought to contain p57.

How Does Hoodia Gordonii Work?

Despite its popularity, there are no published randomized controlled trials in humans to show hoodia is safe or effective in pill form.

One study published in the September 2004 issue of Brain Research found that injections of p57 into the appetite center of rat brains resulted in altered levels of ATP, an energy molecule that may affect hunger. The animals receiving the P57 injections also ate less than rats that received placebo injections. However, this was and animal study and injections in the brain are different from oral consumption, so it cannot be used to show that oral hoodia can suppress appetite in humans.

The manufacturer Phytopharm cites a clinical trial involving 18 human volunteers that found hoodia consumption reduced food intake by about 1000 calories per day compared to a placebo group. Although intriguing, the study wasn't published or subjected to a peer-review process, so the quality of the study cannot be evaluated.

Posted by: Best Weight Loss Program

TV Stars Tout Hoodia Weight Loss

Lesley Stahl of CBS's 60 Minutes told viewers it worked for her. Actor Joseph Gannascoli of The Sopranos says Hoodia has helped curb his cravings for pasta while he sticks to a sensible diet and exercise plan.

The fuss is over a traditional remedy made from Hoodia gordonii, a cactus-like plant used for generations by the San people of southern Africa to stave off hunger during long hunting trips.

Only one peer-reviewed study of Hoodia's effects appears in the National Library of Medicine's online database, PubMed. That research, conducted on rats, found that P57 increased the content of energy-carrying molecules called ATP in the hypothalamus, a part of the brain thought to control hunger. Doctors don't know if Hoodia is safe or effective in humans.

Slim-Fast maker Unilever hopes begin testing its safety and effectiveness in the U.S. -- meanwhile dozens of firms crowd the Internet claiming to sell Hoodia.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has logged at least 100 complaints about Hoodia sellers and products through its consumer-fraud monitoring system, as many products currently sold on the internet contain little or no Hoodia. Because they are sold as dietary supplements, not drugs, the FDA does not require testing of Hoodia pills before they are sold.

Hoodia has been proven to reduce appetite, but there is not a great supply of the innocuous cactus that grows naturally in Southern Africa, and much of the controversy now is over suppliers pushing the product with little of the active ingredient.

Opportunists are rushing to try and grow Hoodia in China and Mexico, but Hoodia takes at least five years to mature, and no one is sure what the proper growing conditions are to produce its active ingredient.
Posted By: Best Weight Loss Programs