The Science behind Hoodia Gordonii

In this article we will examine the science behind Hoodia Gordonii and how it has been studied as an appetite suppressant. In addition, we will examine theories on how hoodia is able to suppress your appetite.

Is there evidence that Hoodia Gordonii works as an appetite suppressant?

Yes! For thousands of years the Bushmen of South Africa having been eating Hoodia Gordonii to fight off hunger during their long hunting trips. The appetite suppressant power of Hoodia Gordonii for the Bushmen is not a question, it is a simple fact of life. So while the Bushmen did not do formal clinical studies, there is thousands of years of real world evidence that eating Hoodia suppresses your appetite.

There is also a growing body of journalist who can attest to the powers of hoodia. Here is a piece of the transcript from 60 Minutes (aired in Nov 2004):

So how did it work? Stahl says she had no after effects - no funny taste in her mouth, no queasy stomach, and no racing heart. She also wasn't hungry all day, even when she would normally have a pang around mealtime. And, she also had no desire to eat or drink the entire day. "I'd have to say it did work," says Stahl.
- Leslie Stahl reporting on CBS News 60 Minutes

Tom Mangold, a correspondent from the BBC News reporting the following after eating Hoodia from the Kalahari Desert...

At about 1800hrs I ate about half a banana size (piece of hoodia gordonii) - and later so did my cameraman. Soon after, we began the four hour drive back to Capetown.
The plant is said to have a feel-good almost aphrodisiac quality, and I have to say, we felt good. But more significantly, we did not even think about food. Our brains really were telling us we were full. It was a magnificent deception.

Dinner time came and went. We reached our hotel at about midnight and went to bed without food. And the next day, neither of us wanted nor ate breakfast.

I ate lunch but without appetite and very little pleasure. Partial then full appetite returned slowly after 24 hours.

- Tom Mangold, BBC News reporting on 5/30/03

Not only is Hoodia is being positively "field tested" by journalists, they are some of the most respected journalist in their field.

What clinical studies have been done with P57?

In 2001 Phytopharm completed a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study in overweight, but otherwise healthy volunteers using the P57 extract from Hoodia gordonii. The participants were split into two groups, one received the P57 and the other received a placebo. Each group was told to continue their normal diet and exercise. The results of the study were as follows:

When comparing the P57 group to the Placebo group:

The P57 group had a statistically significant reduction in caloric intake
The P57 group had a statistically significant reduction in body fat
The P57 had no adverse side effects

On average the P57 group ate about 1,000 calories a day less than those in the control group. These are very impressive results when you consider that the the average American man consumes about 2,600 calories a day; a woman about 1,900

Have any animal studies been done with Hoodia?

Yes. Most significant were the studies done in 2004 by researchers at Brown Medical School. In these studies "Zucker Rats" were fed Hoodia. Zucker Rats are special rats that are bred to be obese and diabetic (life is tough as Zucker rat). Amazingly Zucker Rats that were fed Hoodia lost weight and even saw some reversal of their diabetes.

Anything that can stop a rat from eating is very significant!

What is the science behind how Hoodia Gordonii suppress appetite?

Hoodia fools the brain into thinking it's full when it's not. So, your brain sends the signal that it is full and this cuts your urge to snack on unhealthy food. In fact, hoodia is more powerful than glucose in telling the brain that you are full. Here is how Phytopharm's Dr Richard Dixey explained how P-57 actually works:

"There is a part of your brain, the hypothalamus. Within that mid-brain there are nerve cells that sense glucose sugar.
When you eat, blood sugar goes up because of the food, these cells start firing and now you are full. What the Hoodia seems to contain is a molecule that is about 10,000 times as active as glucose. It goes to the mid-brain and actually makes those nerve cells fire as if you were full. But you have not eaten. Nor do you want to."

-As reported by BBC News Correspondent - Tom Mangold - 5/30/2003

I hear about diet pills all the time - what make Hoodia different?

Most diet pills and supplements work by trying to increase the rate at which our body burns fat. If you think about our body as a machine, calories provide the fuel. If you run the machine (body) hotter, faster and harder - you burn more fuel (calories). I think you can see the problem here - run any machine too hot and hard for long and you can have problems. This was the problem with ephedra. Many people who took ephedra supplements lost weight, but there were serious health risks. Things like strokes and heart attacks were too real a possibility when using ephedra.

What makes Hoodia supplements so different is they really work to prevent weight gain. Take in less calories than you burn and you will lose weight. It is really simple math, you can not gain weight if you consume less calories than you burn. Hoodia gives you a powerful weapon to fight hunger and therefore take in less calories.

To learn more please visit Hoodia Advice, LLC.
Hoodia-Advice.Org provides clinical studies, information and recommendations on using hoodia gordonii as an appetite suppressant.