12.01.05
ConsumerLab.com, White Plains, NY, has released a new article on hoodia (hoodia gordonii). The ability to suppress the appetite or cause weight loss has been associated with a compound within the plant called P57, a steroidal alkaloid. It is believed that P57 works by increasing adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in nerve cells in the hypothalamus, the brain’s control center for regulating thirst, temperature and appetite. When levels of ATP are increased in hypothalamic nerve cells, those nerve cells fire, simulating the feeling that you have just eaten. ConsumerLab.com speculates that there is more hoodia being sold today than could possibly be made from all the hoodia gordonii plants in existence. Some products may be derived from other species of hoodia or similar succulents from around the world. In such cases, consumers are likely not getting what they expect from the product. There has been no scientific standard for assessing the quality of hoodia as an ingredient, although attempts are being made to characterize its components. Additionally, safety studies have not yet been published on hoodia or P57.