HOODIA

Tools for Hoodia

2008-04-14T09:13:00.000-07:00

The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) recently announced the availability of analytical methods to help dietary supplement manufacturers and ingredient suppliers ensure the authenticity of ingredients labeled as Hoodia gordonii.

The two methods, which are currently available, employ both microscopic and high-performance thin layer chromatographic (HPTLC) techniques. A high-performance liquid chromatographic method is also being developed and will be released in the future.

Promulgating these methods for quality assurance is part of AHPA’s ongoing initiative to provide tools that enable the dietary supplements industry to self-regulate. “These techniques are complementary tools,” said Steven Dentali, PhD, AHPA’s vice president of scientific and technical affairs. “As such, they should be jointly deployed in order to help determine the identity and purity of tested material.”

Hoodia - safe and effective

2007-10-14T11:01:00.001-07:00

Still, not all can afford the expensive gym memberships, much less have time to run on a treadmill or lift weights. Majority of people who need to lose weight struggle with having to cut down on food intake or in staying away from calorie-rich foods. Lack of time, discipline, and will to shed off those excess pounds has led many weight watchers to a “quick fix” method --- using so-called ““miracle diets.” While a lot of diet plans offer “guaranteed” results, many do not have the focus to stay with their eating plan. The effectiveness of the trendiest and most popular diet fad ultimately depends on a person's ability and willingness to choose the right food and amount to eat. It's really not about the recipe...but about the person's desire to cut down on food.

Now, for some, there is an even better “quick fix” method of going on a diet. Instead of going to the gym and missing out on one's favorite delicacies, some people take weight loss pills. These weight loss pills work by helping reduce the absorption of fat in food that we eat; or act as an appetite suppressant.
There are a number of weight-loss pills available at the local drugstore, supermarket, and health food store. There are even weight loss pills that can be bought online. However, the safety and efficacy of these pills have not been adequately substantiated or proven. Some fake weight loss pills are downright dangerous.

Most people have heard of contemporary herbal weight loss pills, such as the ephedra (ma huang) pills or Hoodia Gordonii which are very popular today. In the last few years, hoodia has been heavily marketed as the latest in a long list of “miracle herbal products” that promote weight loss and over-all health. The ban on certain weight loss diet pills such as ephedra has opened up a new market for Hoodia. The said drug is now sold in health shops and in the Internet in various forms: capsulated, powder, liquid, or as tea. Despite its popularity, there is no published research or random controlled trial in humans to show that Hoodia is safe or effective in pill form. Many of the Hoodia products being sold today are difficult to analyze in terms of purity or freshness.

To provide the public a safer and tested product, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a reduced-strength, over-the-counter version of weight loss ingredient called Orlistat. It is a prescription weight-loss medication for adults aged 18 and older. Orlistat, otherwise known as Alli, helps promote weight loss by decreasing absorption of fat by the intestines. The capsules are taken with meals, up to three times a day. This ingredient or pill is among the list of very popular weight loss diet pills. Still, Orlistat is intended to be used in conjunction with a reduced-calorie and low-fat diet, and regular exercise.

Losing weight is important to maintain one's health and to sustain a person's sense of comfort and confidence in social settings. People who are still in search for the best weight loss diet pill should make sure that the products they use are safe and FDA-approved. Losing weight should also be done in a very gradual manner. Starving one's self is a no-no. Indeed, losing weight should ultimately be about regaining one's health and not just to attain physical perfection --- if there is such a thing. Losing weight and reaching the ideal number of pounds takes time. There are no shortcuts to weight loss and to achieving optimum health.

Hoodia needs investment

2007-10-04T11:16:00.000-07:00

AN investment of around N$886 million and much work, mainly in expansion and marketing, still needs to be done by both the Government and the private sector to unleash the potential of the agricultural sector, which has been moribund for a couple of years.
The Bank of Namibia (BoN) recently undertook a study titled 'Unleashing the potential of the agriculture sector in Namibia' to determine the factors causing the decline in agricultural growth, and how the situation can be reversed.
The sector is a vital component of the Namibia economy, as the sector sustains about 70 per cent of the population either directly or indirectly.
The prevailing drought, especially in the South, has worsened matters, resulting in relatively poor grazing for the livestock industry.
Namibia's small-stock farming sector mainly based in the South.
The total number of cattle marketed locally went down by 1,6 per cent during the second quarter of this year - which is a great decline from an increase of 33,4 per cent registered between January to March.
Beef and lamb prices also suffered a continued downward trend as the drought impact caused an oversupply of livestock.
Other constraints affecting agriculture were highlighted as unavailability of markets for some products, high input and transport costs, lack of finance, weather conditions, lack of skills and unavailability of farmland.
The BoN study revealed that an investment of N$885,9 million was required to propagate growth in products like poultry, mahangu, beef, sheep, jatropha, hoodia and a host of fruits and vegetables to turn around the fortunes of the industry.
The central bank study cautioned that the land policy should be carried out in a manner which will ensure continued activity.
"The land policy must be implemented in such a way that it dispels uncertainties to farmers, areas earmarked for resettlement must be defined clearly, and resettled farmers should be grouped into clusters.
"These areas should be equipped with the necessary infrastructure and be near by the markets to enhance productivity," read the study.
In lessons drawn from countries such as Malaysia, Kenya and Zambia, BoN said the respective governments had intervened in the agriculture sector through a number of policies such as giving support to smallholder farmers, broadening access to finance, provision of infrastructure and investing in research.
In two of these countries the agricultural sectors have taken off with Zambia registering growth and Malaysia enjoying the success of its palm oil industry.
Kenya has seen a negative wave due to inefficiencies in the areas of marketing, limited land expansion, low investments and bad weather.
Some of the recommendations from the study were that concerted efforts should focus on expanding production of beef, karakul and horticultural products in communal areas.
Marketing and promotion of products like grapes, processed goat meat and dairy products has been noted as vital, together with the modernisation of rural areas by developing proper infrastructure such as roads, electricity and feedlots.
Other ways forward include investment, research and de-bushing in commercial areas in order to increase the carrying capacity of the land, and also to encourage the local consumption of Namibian products.
The study commended the recent regulation by the Namibian Agronomic Board to have retailers source 15 per cent of their supply of horticultural products as an import substitution.According to the central bank, in 2004 the agriculture sector accounted for 11,5 per cent of total foreign exchange earnings for the country, and about 39 per cent and 19 per cent to the country's total maize and wheat consumption respectively.
"Despite the observed sluggish performance, the agricultural sector remains one of the key pillars of the Namibian economy given the fact that it is a provider of food, employment, income and foreign exchange."
The study drew from surveys administered to some 14 key bodies and institutions which represent farmers' interests across the country.

How does hoodia work

2007-06-04T16:33:00.000-07:00

The question how does hoodia work is still being studied. Many scientists agree that it works as an appetite suppressant and clinical trials are concerned with issues concerning dosages, drug interactions and other factors. Scientists at Brown University discovered the connection between a portion of the brain called the hypothalamus and appetite. The San of southern Africa knew nothing about hoodia’s affected on the brain. They only knew that it kills their hunger and thirst.

Council for Scientific and Industrial Research were not concerned about how hoodia works. They were evaluating what is called “bush food” to determine toxicity and possibly for use as food or drugs. The connection between hypothalamus and hoodia was not made at this time. They discovered that animals which have eaten an extract of hoodia gordonii lost weight, but the weight loss didn’t appear due to any toxic affect.

Researches by Phytopharm and later Pfizer which began in 1995 didn’t address the issue of how does hoodia work, but does hoodia work. Phytopharm performed a double blind study of overweight people. After two weeks, those who had taken the extract had lost body fat. Phytopharm does not mention anything about the hypothalamus and the role played by the hypothalamus in appetite.

A study at Brown Medical School, in which the p57 molecule was isolated, revealed the hypothalamus hoodia link. A study group was given p57 molecule while a control group - with placebo. After 24 hours there was an increase in neurotransmitter and cell energy source in hypothalamic neurons and a decrease in food intake in the study group. While the control group was fed a low calorie diet for four days and exhibited a decrease of ATP in the hypothalamus of 30-50%. The control group was injected with the hoodia extract and the decrease was blocked. Interpreting the hypothalamus, hoodia and ATP results in simplest terms. This research shows that the part of the brain responsible for hunger, thirst and many other things temporarily blocks the hunger and thirst sensations and relays a sense of fullness, because hoodia gordonii causes an increase in ATP, which normally decreases when food intake is reduced.