Study Reports Truth About Hoodia Diet Pills and Weight Loss Promises

Hoodia Gordonii has been touted as the obese person's answer to weight loss. It's been featured in numerous magazines and by major media outlets and programs such as CBS and ABC News, NBC Today Show, 60 Minutes and Oprah. But Hoodia Gordonii as the magic diet solution is not always giving dieters the results that even the heavy hitters claim they should get. A recent study may explain why.

In a Sept. 22 press release, InternetHealthReview.com announced the findings of their extensive study of Hoodia Gordonii. It's true that Hoodia Gordonii contains a unique molecule that seems to be quite effective in suppressing appetite. However, what hopeful dieters are getting in much of today's market is fake hoodia or products containing much less Hoodia Gordonii than represented.

Hoodia is a South African cactus-like succulent that grows primarily in the high temperatures of the African Kalahari desert. It's purported in numerous claims that the bushmen of the Kalahari Desert in Southwest Africa, one of the world's oldest and most primitive tribes, have been eating the plant for thousands of years to stave off hunger during long hunting trips and when food supplies are short.

It's said that hoodia causes the glucose sugar-sensing nerve cells in the brain to send the message that the blood sugar levels are good, and thus there's no need to eat at the moment. In other words, the nerve cells are telling the brain the person is full and not hungry. And there seems to be some good evidence that this claim is true - when pure Hoodia Gordonii is ingested in sufficient quantity.

That brings to the table the issue of a CITES certification. According to Buyer's Hoodia Guide, CITES stands for Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Hoodia Gordonii is a protected plant in Africa, so anyone taking it from there must have an export permit from CITES.

In its research study of over 50 products, InternetHealthReview.com found that most hoodia products on the market were ineffective. The reasons were because the products either didn't contain real Hoodia Gordonii or the quantity was too little in each dose.

Jennifer Marshall is a spokesperson for InternetHealthReview.com. Regarding CITES certification, she said: "What few people realize is that real South African Hoodia Gordonii is rare, and the majority is all exported by just a few export companies worldwide, so all these companies displaying CITES export certificates are not likely displaying their own, if it is even real." When hoodia sellers represented they had CITES certification, more likely than not it was just a sales tool.

The press release also says that Millennium Health, a major supplier of about 75 percent of the world's hoodia, claims that "the market is saturated with fake hoodia."

So where does that leave the dieter wanting pure, effective hoodia? Short of having it tested by an independent lab, the next best thing is to buy only brands that have been shown to be effective. Marshall also says consumers should avoid hoodia gimmicks such as bars, tea, coffee and gum. She says that none of these have been proven effective.

As for InternetHealthReview.com's study, there were a few brands of hoodia that were found to be helpful in helping people lose significant amounts of weight. The top five brands can be found on their website, as well as guidelines for buying Hoodia Gordonii.

InternetHealthReview.com does investigative studies and research on products and health-related information to determine the scientific basis for claims made about products and information, including health and diet claims, herbs, supplements and diet products.

Sources:

Press release, Study Discovers Truth About Hoodia Diet Pills; http://www.prweb.com/releases/hoodia/gordonii/prweb555563.htm

InternetHealthReview; http://internethealthreview.com/

Buyer's Hoodia Guide; http://www.hoodia.vg/hoodia_cites.html