HOODIA GORDONII: DESERT PLANT YIELDS BLESSINGS FOR DIETERS
By Alan E Lewis
It started with a story on the BBC news site. Then it spread to the New York Times and the wire services. But what really broke the story big time was Lesley Stahl's feature on CBS's 60 Minutes last fall. Suddenly the whole country is talking about Hoodia.
WHO-DIA?
Hoodia gordonii is the scientific name for a strange little cactus-like weed that grows in the Kalahari Desert in southern Africa. It so happens that Hoodia stores a lot of moisture, which the resident Bushmen of the Kalahari found invaluable, over the millennia, to slake thirst, especially during their long hunting forays (up to 100 miles). But they learned something else, too: it not only slakes thirst, it quells hunger -- also very useful if you are on a long hunting trip in the desert, without food. The Bushmen made a habit, from time immemorial, of sucking on the flesh of Hoodia to sustain themselves under unbearably harsh conditions -- a desert with no surface water and very little rain.
In an ABC News interview, one of the Bushmen (through an interpreter) said: "I learned how to eat it from my forefathers. It is my food, my water and also a medicine for me... we San use the plant during hunting to fight off the pain of hunger and thirst." ("San" is another name for the Bushmen.)
Reporters who have visited the area and sampled Hoodia have experienced the benefits. CBS's Leslie Stahl reported that after consuming Hoodia she wasn't hungry for the rest of the day, even at dinnertime. "I'd have to say it did work", said Stahl.
THE MIRACLE INGREDIENT
Surely the appetite-suppressing effect of Hoodia cannot come from the little bit of moisture, alone. And indeed it doesn't. Over the past two decades scientists have analyzed Hoodia and have finally identified what appears to be the key active ingredient, called P57. (The formal chemical name is impossible; don't ask.)
P57 is a steroidal glycoside, similar to the glycosides in digitalis that are used for heart conditions. Researchers at Brown University Medical School in Providence, RI, found that infinitesimal doses of P57 injected directly into rat's brains caused dramatic reductions of food intake by the animals -- by half or more within 24 hours.
THE HYPOTHALAMUS CONNECTION
The Brown researchers found that P57 is active especially in the hypothalamus -- a primordial brain structure, part of the limbic system, that controls numerous drives and functions such as appetite, sex, sleep and mood. It seems that P57 up-regulates hypothalamic ATP (adenosine triphosphate -- the energy compound) by as much as 100%. And it is those high concentrations of ATP that cause the hypothalamus to signal the brain to stop eating.
When the Brown researchers put animals on low-calorie diets, their hypothalamic ATP levels dropped precipitously. But the same animals, given P57 while eating a calorie-restricted diet, had normal hypothalamic ATP. Is this getting interesting? Hoodia may be the answer to the chronic hunger pangs of low-calorie dieting.
By boosting ATP levels in the hypothalamus, P57 works just like calories (from sugar, starch, whatever), which also boost ATP levels in the hypothalamus. The obvious difference is that P57 has no calories. On a weight basis, P57 has been found 10,000 times more potent than sugar in suppressing appetite.
Keep in mind that P57 is the only yet-identified appetite-suppressing constituent of Hoodia. There may be others. And P57 itself may act in other ways (such as peripherally, not in the brain) to promote satiety and speed weight loss. (More details on this below.)
There may still be questions about all its modes of action, but one thing we know for sure is that Hoodia has the longest history of use of any herb or substance on earth. Over 270 centuries by the indigenous peoples of the Kalahari.
Hoodia gordonii is the scientific name for a strange little cactus-like weed that grows in the Kalahari Desert in southern Africa. It so happens that Hoodia stores a lot of moisture, which the resident Bushmen of the Kalahari found invaluable, over the millennia, to slake thirst, especially during their long hunting forays (up to 100 miles). But they learned something else, too: it not only slakes thirst, it quells hunger -- also very useful if you are on a long hunting trip in the desert, without food. The Bushmen made a habit, from time immemorial, of sucking on the flesh of Hoodia to sustain themselves under unbearably harsh conditions -- a desert with no surface water and very little rain.
In an ABC News interview, one of the Bushmen (through an interpreter) said: "I learned how to eat it from my forefathers. It is my food, my water and also a medicine for me... we San use the plant during hunting to fight off the pain of hunger and thirst." ("San" is another name for the Bushmen.)
Reporters who have visited the area and sampled Hoodia have experienced the benefits. CBS's Leslie Stahl reported that after consuming Hoodia she wasn't hungry for the rest of the day, even at dinnertime. "I'd have to say it did work", said Stahl.
THE MIRACLE INGREDIENT
Surely the appetite-suppressing effect of Hoodia cannot come from the little bit of moisture, alone. And indeed it doesn't. Over the past two decades scientists have analyzed Hoodia and have finally identified what appears to be the key active ingredient, called P57. (The formal chemical name is impossible; don't ask.)
P57 is a steroidal glycoside, similar to the glycosides in digitalis that are used for heart conditions. Researchers at Brown University Medical School in Providence, RI, found that infinitesimal doses of P57 injected directly into rat's brains caused dramatic reductions of food intake by the animals -- by half or more within 24 hours.
THE HYPOTHALAMUS CONNECTION
The Brown researchers found that P57 is active especially in the hypothalamus -- a primordial brain structure, part of the limbic system, that controls numerous drives and functions such as appetite, sex, sleep and mood. It seems that P57 up-regulates hypothalamic ATP (adenosine triphosphate -- the energy compound) by as much as 100%. And it is those high concentrations of ATP that cause the hypothalamus to signal the brain to stop eating.
When the Brown researchers put animals on low-calorie diets, their hypothalamic ATP levels dropped precipitously. But the same animals, given P57 while eating a calorie-restricted diet, had normal hypothalamic ATP. Is this getting interesting? Hoodia may be the answer to the chronic hunger pangs of low-calorie dieting.
By boosting ATP levels in the hypothalamus, P57 works just like calories (from sugar, starch, whatever), which also boost ATP levels in the hypothalamus. The obvious difference is that P57 has no calories. On a weight basis, P57 has been found 10,000 times more potent than sugar in suppressing appetite.
Keep in mind that P57 is the only yet-identified appetite-suppressing constituent of Hoodia. There may be others. And P57 itself may act in other ways (such as peripherally, not in the brain) to promote satiety and speed weight loss. (More details on this below.)
There may still be questions about all its modes of action, but one thing we know for sure is that Hoodia has the longest history of use of any herb or substance on earth. Over 270 centuries by the indigenous peoples of the Kalahari.
OTHER BENEFITS
In animal studies it was noted that Hoodia extracts produce decreases in blood glucose along with weight loss, and one study even claimed that in obese diabetic rats, the extract caused a "reversal of diabetes". This is significant for two reasons. First, it suggests that Hoodia could be beneficial for diabetics. And second, lowering blood glucose is a key part of any bodyfat-control program. When blood glucose drops, the body releases the fat-destroying hormones (growth hormone, glucagon, etc.) and suppresses the energy-storing insulin. To an extent, the hormonal effects of lowering blood glucose are what make calorie restriction effective. You need both reduced calories and a fat-mobilizing hormonal environment in order to lose fat.
Oh by the way: according to the Bushmen, Hoodia not only takes away hunger and provides energy, it also cures hangovers, settles upset stomachs, and boosts sexual performance. Interested yet?
In animal studies it was noted that Hoodia extracts produce decreases in blood glucose along with weight loss, and one study even claimed that in obese diabetic rats, the extract caused a "reversal of diabetes". This is significant for two reasons. First, it suggests that Hoodia could be beneficial for diabetics. And second, lowering blood glucose is a key part of any bodyfat-control program. When blood glucose drops, the body releases the fat-destroying hormones (growth hormone, glucagon, etc.) and suppresses the energy-storing insulin. To an extent, the hormonal effects of lowering blood glucose are what make calorie restriction effective. You need both reduced calories and a fat-mobilizing hormonal environment in order to lose fat.
Oh by the way: according to the Bushmen, Hoodia not only takes away hunger and provides energy, it also cures hangovers, settles upset stomachs, and boosts sexual performance. Interested yet?
ON THE LEADING EDGE
Hoodia is without a doubt the new leading edge of weight-control technology. Would you seriously argue with the 27,000-year experience of the Kalahari Bushmen? After a thousand generations of survival under the most arduous conditions, they know a thing or two about how to stay comfortable. Besides, we now know from the animal studies that this stuff contains an incredibly potent molecule that acts directly on the very brain structure that controls appetite -- and acts on it in just the way that zaps hunger.
Not only that, but there have been several unpublished human studies, on file with the Pfizer Corporation (which has been conducting research on P57), showing that Hoodia extracts do indeed suppress appetite in humans, continuing for up to 8 weeks as the extracts are given. Volunteers given Hoodia extracts spontaneously reduced their calorie intake by 1000 calories per day over 15 days.
And Hoodia appears to be free of side effects. Neither in the experience of the Bushmen, nor in the animal and human trial information available, is there any mention of adverse effects.
Hoodia is without a doubt the new leading edge of weight-control technology. Would you seriously argue with the 27,000-year experience of the Kalahari Bushmen? After a thousand generations of survival under the most arduous conditions, they know a thing or two about how to stay comfortable. Besides, we now know from the animal studies that this stuff contains an incredibly potent molecule that acts directly on the very brain structure that controls appetite -- and acts on it in just the way that zaps hunger.
Not only that, but there have been several unpublished human studies, on file with the Pfizer Corporation (which has been conducting research on P57), showing that Hoodia extracts do indeed suppress appetite in humans, continuing for up to 8 weeks as the extracts are given. Volunteers given Hoodia extracts spontaneously reduced their calorie intake by 1000 calories per day over 15 days.
And Hoodia appears to be free of side effects. Neither in the experience of the Bushmen, nor in the animal and human trial information available, is there any mention of adverse effects.
PRACTICAL USE
Hoodia extracts are available for use in capsule form. For some people the effects are immediate -- appetite suppression within an hour or two, or the same day. However, usually the effects develop over 2-3 weeks. The most often-reported effects include generally reduced appetite, prolonged satiety after eating (many hours), reduced meal size (you "fill up" more quickly), and improved energy and general vitality.
The dose, typically, is 1-2 capsules before each meal (preferably an hour), for starters. After a few weeks, as the full effects become evident, 2 capsules daily can sometimes sustain the effects.
The dose, typically, is 1-2 capsules before each meal (preferably an hour), for starters. After a few weeks, as the full effects become evident, 2 capsules daily can sometimes sustain the effects.
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