has anyone tried the hoodia weight loss patch? does it work and are there any health restrictions?

One Comment

1. big_puffy_shoes says:

   September 11, 2009 at 12:12 am

   There is no published scientific evidence that Hoodia works as an appetite suppressant in humans. The safety and/or effectiveness of Hoodia Gordonii as a dietary supplement, must thus be considered as unsubstantiated.

   Animal research on hoodia includes one published scientific study in which a purified extract of Hoodia Gordonii, known as P57, was injected directly into the brains of rats.[7] The author of the rat study said that P57 was easily broken down by the liver, so it might be hard to take in enough of it to ensure that it had an effect. MacLean cautioned that currently available supplements might be inadequate, stating "I question whether there is really enough of the active ingredient in there to do much."[8]

   Richard M. Goldfarb, MD, a doctor and medical director of Bucks County Clinical Research in Morrisville, Pennsylvania, claims to have conducted a preliminary efficacy study of Hoodia gordonii on seven people and reports to have found it effective. This very small trial was reportedly sponsored by a Hoodia manufacturer and none of the findings were ever published in any peer-reviewed journal. Such information cannot be considered as evidence that hoodia is effective as a weight loss product.[9]

   Other medical weight loss experts remain skeptical and do not recommend hoodia to obese patients. Adrienne Youdim, MD, medical director of the Comprehensive Weight Loss Program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and Michael Steelman, MD, chairman of the board of trustees for the American Society of Bariatric Physicians says "There is no [published scientific] data to support its use."[9]