Hoodia gordoniiis an African cactus from Namibia and South Africa.In Africa’s Kalahari Desert, hoodia has traditionally been eaten by the San Bushmen, to ward off hunger and thirst on long journeys.

Many people are interested in hoodia for its possible weight loss benefits. Supposedly hoodia works because it tricks a part of your brain, your hypothalamus into thinking that you are full. A role of the hypothalamus is to determines if appetite needs to be increased or suppressed by reading the blood glucose level. The active component in hoodia is p57. The molecule P57 “talks” to the hypothalamus in your brain. Reportedly, p57 can signal to the hypothalamus to suppress the appetite even more strongly than one’s blood glucose level. 

A few possible side effects from hoodia are reported. It could impair liver function or cause blood sugar level to drop too low. Unfortunately, scientifically strong, published research on hoodia is sketchy. Most of the “research” on hoodia is from websites selling a hoodia product. If you are going to buy hoodia, be careful. Some products out on the market claiming that they contain hoodia, when tested do not contain any hoodia!

Other points to consider are:

1. Every human is different and just because it works for some people, it is not likely to work for everyone.
2. There is no clinical evidence yet on its interactions with other drugs that a person may be taking, such as cholesterol or diabetes medicine.
3. Remember that excess weight is a symptom of an imbalance within the body on the physical or emotional level. Taking hooida, or any other weight loss supplement will not address the underlying factors of what caused the weight gain in the first place. As a result, if hoodia is discontinued and the factors causing the weight loss have not been address, the excess weight is likely to return.

For an online video addressing the beliefs and emotions that lead to weight gain, visit www.weightlossforwellbeing.com

Here’s to your success in releasing excess weight!

Deborah Barnett, Ph.D.

www.ManifestingWellBeing.com

www.DeborahBarnett.com