Perhaps you’ve
already heard of hoodia, the unsightly and unpleasant tasting
cactus-like plant which grows in the Kalahari Desert. In recent months,
hoodia has received an overwhelming amount of attention from the media
for it’s ability to suppress hunger with no discernable negative side
effects. But how exactly does this plant fool our brains into thinking
we are full?
Hoodia contains, among other things, steroidal
glycosides. These glycosides, when consumed, act on the hypothalamus of
the human brain in much the same way that an increase in the amount of
sugar in the bloodstream would. When the hypothalamus believes that
blood sugar is high, it sends out a signal to the body that no more
sustenance is required. Effectively, one of the components of hoodia’s
biological make-up tricks our brains into thinking we have already
consumed enough caloric intake, which consequently suppresses our
hunger.
Several studies have been performed on both animals and
humans which have shown conclusive results that hoodia is effective in
facilitating weight loss. The only known side effect of hoodia is a
feeling of overall well-being which accompanies appetite suppression.
While the majority of the human studies performed on hoodia have
involved participants who suffer from obesity, animal studies indicate
that hoodia may be just as effective in helping those who are in
reasonably good health but would like to lose a small amount of weight.
Unlike
ephedra and caffeine based stimulants, hoodia demonstrates no
cardiovascular side effects such as thermal or nervous system
acceleration or increased blood pressure.
While the medical
community continues to study what many are calling the greatest weapon
in the fight against obesity, several manufacturers have made hoodia
available to the public in pill or patch form. Perhaps the magic pill
that science has been searching for decades has been with us all along,
slowly growing in the Kalahari Desert.
Copied with permission from: http://plrplr.com/62261/hoodia-and-hunger/
