Hoodia Gordonii is heating up the rumor mill wherever discussion of weight loss takes place. It seems as if every web site dealing with weight loss is offering up an opinion on whether Hoodia is the real thing or not. It’s been featured in major newspaper, the major newsweeklies and even a 60 Minutes report. So what exactly is Hoodia Gordonii and what is it supposed to do?
To begin with Hoodia is nothing more than a simple plant that looks similar, but bears no relation to the cactus. How Hoodia Gordonii got a reputation for being a weight loss product goes to the native citizens of southern Africa who would ingest the plant for various purposes including suppressing their appetites when embark upon long treks through the desert, as well as for treatment of infection.
So exactly how does a prickly plant that helps poor Africans make it across the desert without getting hungry wind up being advertised by a former Playboy Playmate of the Year?
Hoodia Gordonii works by tricking the brain. (That may explain why a former Playmate is the leading sponsors of the product, but that’s another topic altogether.) At any rate, it fools a part of the brain called the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus fires off neurons that tell your body to stop eating because you’re full.
The molecular structure of Hoodia Gordonii works in such a way that it sends the same message even though you haven’t eaten. It sounds perfect: if you feel full you won’t have any desire to eat and if you just take the effort to toss in a little exercise, you’ll be shedding pounds in no time. So then why are there so many fat people still walking around?
It’s a good question, especially in light of the evidence so far. Although there have been some scientific studies into whether these claims contain any validity, the medical community isn’t quite ready to give it a big thumbs-up. Things do look pretty encouraging, however.
A British study found that participants who took Hoodia Gordonii were able to drop their intake of calories by 1,000 a day. And that was without exercise; using just the Hoodia alone. A little simple match in your head and you can easily figure out that taking Hoodia seems to be resulting in some impressive weight loss figures for users. And despite the fact that only a few studies have been done, many people are taking the promise of Hoodia Gordonii to heart.
Even if all its claims prove true and even if taking Hoodia Gordonii results in weight loss for most people, however, that doesn’t mean you can rely on it for good health. You still should cut down on refined sugars and get some exercise. And by all means resist the temptation to think that if one dose of Hoodia will help you drop two pounds a week, then five drops will help you lose ten pounds.
Be sensible. Hoodia does look promising, but no product can make you lose weight if you don’t eat sensibly and get some exercise.