Weight Loss and Wellness

Nowadays, you hear about new diet pills containing ’Hoodia’ everywhere. There are dozens of companies manufacturing pills which contain this supposedly magical substance that suppresses appetite. So what exactly is it and does it work?

Hoodia is a type of succulent (not cactus) found in areas such as South Africa. There are many different species, but only one - called Hoodia gordonii is believed to suppress appetite. It can take upto 5 years to cultivate this plant.

South Africa’s Council for Scientific and Industrial Research originally isolated the substance in hoodia which suppresses appetite. It later granted a British company called Phytopharm the rights to market this substance - now called p57.

In 1998, Pfizer acquired an exclusive licence “to develop and market p57″. By 2003, Pfizer stopped it’s clinical development of p57 and returned the rights to Phytopharm. One of the scientists who worked at Pfizer had this to say, “Clearly, hoodia has a long way to go before it can earn approval from the Food and Drug Administration. Until safer formulations are developed, dieters should be wary of using it.” Unilever bought the rights to market p57 in 2004.

Although Unilever has exclusive rights to p57, currently there are many different companies claiming to have pills which contain hoodia (which can’t be patented because it is a herb). Unfortunately, some studies have shown that some of these pills don’t actually contain any hoodia at all.

Because they are not regulated tightly by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), over the counter (OTC) supplement manufacturers have sometimes gone too far with their claims. Over the counter pill manufacturers including the makers of TrimSpa have been sued for their practices.

While Hoodia may work well, we have no real proof since there are not a lot of studies on humans. We don’t know about the correct dosing, potential side effects or interactions with prescription medicines - again because of a lack of studies. So when you here the ads for this “miracle” product, ask yourself, “Does this sound more like hype or reality?”

Always check with your doctor to see if it is safe for you to take this product.