Hoodia Gordonii Diet Pills- The Science Behind the Diet

Diet products do not have to go through the scrutiny which drugs and food products must adhere. Often a new weight loss product is hyped as being a cure all for fat but in reality there is nothing more than anecdotal information to back up the claims.

Hoodia Gordonii

Hoodia Gordonii Diet Pills is a weight loss product that is all natural and as such has been studied less than most other diet aides. This is partly because it has been in use for such a long time without apparent side effects. The indigenous people of the Kalahari Desert in South Africa have been using it for thousands of years with no problems. Knowing this, there has not been a pressing need to do scientific research.

Studies on how it works

There have been a few studies however. One was published in the September 2004 issue of Brain Research. It found that injecting a molecule known as p57 into the appetite center of rat brains resulted in less food intake. Evidence showed that it changed the levels of ATP, an energy molecule that affects hunger. The animals receiving the injections ate less than the rats that received placebos.

Another study was a clinical trial involving 18 human volunteers. The manufacturer Phytopharm did the study in which healthy individuals continued their normal regime of diet and exercise but also took hoodia gordonii. They found that hoodia consumption reduced food intake by about 1000 calories per day compared to the group that were given a placebo. The people who took hoodia had a significant reduction in body fat. Most adults only eat from 2,000 to 3,000 calories a day. A one thousand calorie reduction is a big drop in caloric intake.

In 2004 there was another study with rats. It was conducted at Brown University Medical School where they found that when obese rats were fed hoodia they ate 30% to 50% less than before. Another notable finding was with the rats that were diabetic. After eating hoodia gordonii, their diabetic state was reversed.

Clinical tests

To date there has only been one other clinical test in America. It used people with a BMI (Body Mass Index) score of 25 which they considered overweight. (Thirty to 39 is in the obese range and 40 and over is severely obese.) After 28 days taking hoodia, the median weight loss was 10 pounds. There was an average decrease in body fat of 3.3%. This is thought to be a healthy rate at which to lose. Some of the subjects said they just didn’t feel the need to eat and their calorie intake was voluntarily dropped to half.

If you have been considering dieting with hoodia gordonii, you now know that there are scientific studies to back up the claims being made. Give a hoodia product a try and see how well it will work for you.