Does Hoodia Boost Fat Loss? What Science Says – Fitnessnacks

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Written by Michael Matthews

Evidence Based

Hoodia gordonii is a succulent plant native to southern Africa.

For centuries, the indigenous San people have used hoodia to diminish hunger pangs when food is scarce. In more recent times, supplement companies have sold it as an appetite suppressant, capable of boosting fat loss by easing your desire to eat.

What is hoodia exactly?

Is it an effective fat-loss supplement?

And is it safe?

Get evidence-based answers to these questions and more in this article.

(Or if you’d prefer to skip all of the scientific mumbo jumbo and just want to know if you should take hoodia or a different supplement to reach your goals, take the Legion Supplement Finder Quiz, and in less than a minute, you’ll know exactly what accessories are right for you. Click here to check it out.)

What Is Hoodia Gordonii?

Hoodia gordonii, or simply “hoodia,” is a cactus-like plant that grows in southern Africa.

The San tribespeople have used the hoodia plant for centuries as an appetite suppressant, thirst quencher, antidiabetic, and cure for abdominal cramps, hemorrhoids, tuberculosis, indigestion, and hypertension.

Between the late 1990s and early 2000s, several large pharmaceutical companies began investigating hoodia, and in particular, a compound it contains called P57, which they believed was responsible for the plant’s apparent hunger-reducing effects.

Following this interest, supplement companies began selling hoodia as a weight-loss supplement in pill, powder, and patch form. 

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Hoodia: Benefits

The most commonly touted benefits of hoodia are that it can suppress your appetite, which aids weight loss by helping you eat fewer calories.

Hoodia hawkers support these claims with three main pieces of evidence: 

1. The indigenous hunter-gatherer cultures of southern Africa have used hoodia to mitigate hunger during times of famine for hundreds of years, and, therefore, it must work.
2. A study conducted by scientists at Hallett Center for Diabetes and Endocrinology showed that P57 increases adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production in the brain by 50-to-150%, which may reduce appetite.
3. Research conducted by scientists at the Technical University of Munich showed that compounds in hoodia increase cholecystokinin (CCK) secretion in the gut, which may curb hunger.

These arguments are flawed for several reasons.

For instance, just because something has been used medicinally for a long period doesn’t mean it’s effective or safe; there are countless examples of traditional plant-, animal-, and mineral-based remedies that have been used for centuries that confer no health benefits and may pose health risks. Don’t forget that people used to take mercury to cure syphilis and for thousands of years doctors used bloodletting to “cure” a variety of ailments. 

Another reason to be skeptical is that the research from Hallett Center for Diabetes and Endocrinology involved injecting P57 directly into rats’ brains. This is problematic for two reasons. 

First, it was animal research, which means it’s impossible to know whether we can generalize the findings to humans. And second, subsequent animal research shows that the body eliminates P57 during digestion, which means it doesn’t make it to the brain when taken orally.

In other words, unless you inject it into your brain (or that of a rat), it’s unlikely to have the desired effect.

Employees at Pfizer (one of the pharmaceutical companies that showed initial interest in hoodia and that, in 2001, bought the rights to license it for $21 million) also contributed to the study writeup, which increases the odds that financial interest colored the results.  

Similarly, the study conducted at the Technical University of Munich involved rats and was guided by a company that had a vested interest in the results. Thus the same caveats apply.

Another reason to doubt hoodia’s ability to help you lose weight is that other research shows it’s ineffective in this regard.

For example, in the only hoodia study conducted on humans, 49 women took either 1.11 grams of hoodia or a placebo twice daily for 15 days.

The results showed that both groups experienced similar levels of hunger and lost the same amount of weight. That is, the hoodia was no more effective than the placebo at controlling appetite or supporting weight loss.

However, unlike the women who took a placebo, those who supplemented with hoodia had a significant and worrying rise in blood pressure, pulse, heart rate, and bilirubin and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) blood levels.

While it’s not clear what caused these changes or what their long-term implications would be, it casts doubt over hoodia’s safety.

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Hoodia: Side Effects

The only study to investigate hoodia’s effect on humans reported several unwanted side effects, including increased blood pressure, pulse, heart rate, and bilirubin and ALP levels, headache, nausea, dizziness, giddiness, vomiting, flushing, flatulence, and skin reactions.

Consumers of a Hungarian hoodia product reported similar side effects to scientists at the University of Szeged, which led the researchers to investigate hoodia more deeply. In their subsequent work, they found that hoodia interacts with the sympathetic nervous system in rats and thus may negatively impact cardiovascular health. 

Another study conducted by scientists at Stellenbosch University found that rats that took hoodia for 14 days lost a significant amount of weight. However, much of the weight the rats lost was muscle.

These results suggest that hoodia may worsen your body composition, which could have a detrimental effect on your health and longevity.

Should You Take Hoodia For Weight Loss?

There’s no good evidence that hoodia lessens hunger or aids weight loss, and it can cause a raft of unwanted side effects. As such, it’s probably sensible to heed the advice of many experts and avoid it for the time being. 

If you’re looking for fat-loss supplements that are well-supported by peer-reviewed research and safe, here’s what I recommend:

• 3-to-6 mg of caffeine per kilogram of body weight per day. This will raise the number of calories you burn and also increases strength, muscle endurance, and anaerobic performance. If you want a clean, delicious source of caffeine that contains five other ingredients that will boost your workout performance, try Pulse.
• 0.1-to-0.2 milligrams of yohimbine per kilogram of body weight before fasted training. This increases fat loss when used in conjunction with fasted training, and is particularly helpful with losing “stubborn” fat. If you want a 100% natural source of yohimbine that also contains two other ingredients that will help you lose fat faster, preserve muscle, and maintain training intensity and mental sharpness, try Forge.
• One serving of Phoenix per day. Phoenix is a 100% natural fat burner that speeds up your metabolism, enhances fat burning, and reduces hunger and cravings. You can also get Phoenix with caffeine or without.

(Or if you aren’t sure these supplements are right for your budget, circumstances, and goals, take the Legion Supplement Finder Quiz! In less than a minute, it’ll tell you exactly what supplements are right for you. Click here to check it out.)

+ Scientific References

1. Vermaak, I., Hamman, J. H., & Viljoen, A. M. (2011). Hoodia gordonii: an up-to-date review of a commercially important anti-obesity plant. Planta Medica, 77(11), 1149–1160. https://doi.org/10.1055/S-0030-1250643
2. Lee, R. A., & Balick, M. J. (2007). Indigenous use of Hoodia gordonii and appetite suppression. Explore (New York, N.Y.), 3(4), 404–406. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.EXPLORE.2007.05.005
3. van Heerden, F. R. (2008). Hoodia gordonii: a natural appetite suppressant. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 119(3), 434–437. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JEP.2008.08.023
4. MacLean, D. B., & Luo, L. G. (2004). Increased ATP content/production in the hypothalamus may be a signal for energy-sensing of satiety: Studies of the anorectic mechanism of a plant steroidal glycoside. Brain Research, 1020(1–2), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainres.2004.04.041
5. Minokoshi, Y., Alquier, T., Furukawa, H., Kim, Y. B., Lee, A., Xue, B., Mu, J., Foufelle, F., Ferré, P., Birnbaum, M. J., Stuck, B. J., & Kahn, B. B. (2004). AMP-kinase regulates food intake by responding to hormonal and nutrient signals in the hypothalamus. Nature, 428(6982), 569–574. https://doi.org/10.1038/NATURE02440
6. Nevé, B. Le, Foltz, M., Daniel, H., & Gouka, R. (2010). The steroid glycoside H.g.-12 from Hoodia gordonii activates the human bitter receptor TAS2R14 and induces CCK release from HuTu-80 cells. American Journal of Physiology. Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology, 299(6). https://doi.org/10.1152/AJPGI.00135.2010
7. Perry, B., & Wang, Y. (2012). Appetite regulation and weight control: the role of gut hormones. Nutrition & Diabetes, 2(1), e26. https://doi.org/10.1038/NUTD.2011.21
8. Mensah, M. L. K., Komlaga, G., Forkuo, A. D., Caleb Firempong, Anning, A. K., Dickson, R. A., Mensah, M. L. K., Komlaga, G., Forkuo, A. D., Caleb Firempong, Anning, A. K., & Dickson, R. A. (2019). Toxicity and Safety Implications of Herbal Medicines Used in Africa. Herbal Medicine. https://doi.org/10.5772/INTECHOPEN.72437
9. Byard, R. W., Musgrave, I., Maker, G., & Bunce, M. (2017). What risks do herbal products pose to the Australian community? Medical Journal of Australia, 206(2), 86–90. https://doi.org/10.5694/MJA16.00614
10. Madgula, V. L. M., Ashfaq, M. K., Wang, Y. H., Avula, B., Khan, I. A., Walker, L. A., & Khan, S. I. (2010). Bioavailability, pharmacokinetics, and tissue distribution of the oxypregnane steroidal glycoside P57AS3 (P57) from Hoodia gordonii in mouse model. Planta Medica, 76(14), 1582–1586. https://doi.org/10.1055/S-0030-1249818
11. Smith, C., & Krygsman, A. (2014). Hoodia gordonii extract targets both adipose and muscle tissue to achieve weight loss in rats. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 155(2), 1284–1290. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JEP.2014.07.018
12. Blom, W. A. M., Abrahamse, S. L., Bradford, R., Duchateau, G. S. M. J. E., Theis, W., Orsi, A., Ward, C. L., & Mela, D. J. (2011). Effects of 15-d repeated consumption of Hoodia gordonii purified extract on safety, ad libitum energy intake, and body weight in healthy, overweight women: a randomized controlled trial. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 94(5), 1171–1181. https://doi.org/10.3945/AJCN.111.020321
13. Roza, O., Lovász, N., Zupkó, I., Hohmann, J., & Csupor, D. (2013). Sympathomimetic Activity of a Hoodia gordonii Product: A Possible Mechanism of Cardiovascular Side Effects. BioMed Research International, 2013. https://doi.org/10.1155/2013/171059
14. Smith, C., & Krygsman, A. (2014). Hoodia gordonii extract targets both adipose and muscle tissue to achieve weight loss in rats. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 155(2), 1284–1290. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JEP.2014.07.018
15. Sartori, R., Romanello, V., & Sandri, M. (2021). Mechanisms of muscle atrophy and hypertrophy: implications in health and disease. Nature Communications, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/S41467-020-20123-1
16. Wolfe, R. R. (2006). The underappreciated role of muscle in health and disease. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 84(3), 475–482. https://doi.org/10.1093/AJCN/84.3.475
17. No authors listed. (n.d.). American College of Sports Medicine Position Stand. Exercise and physical activity for older adults – PubMed. Retrieved April 10, 2023, from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9624662/
18. Smith, C., & Krygsman, A. (2014). Hoodia gordonii: to eat, or not to eat. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 155(2), 987–991. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JEP.2014.06.033
19. Astrup, A., Toubro, S., Cannon, S., Hein, P., Breum, L., & Madsen, J. (1990). Caffeine: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study of its thermogenic, metabolic, and cardiovascular effects in healthy volunteers. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 51(5), 759–767. https://doi.org/10.1093/AJCN/51.5.759
20. Astorino, T. A., Rohmann, R. L., & Firth, K. (2008). Effect of caffeine ingestion on one-repetition maximum muscular strength. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 102(2), 127–132. https://doi.org/10.1007/S00421-007-0557-X
21. Beck, T. W., Housh, T. J., Schmidt, R. J., Johnson, G. O., Housh, D. J., Coburn, J. W., & Malek, M. H. (2006). The acute effects of a caffeine-containing supplement on strength, muscular endurance, and anaerobic capabilities. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 20(3), 506–510. https://doi.org/10.1519/18285.1
22. Ostojic, S. M. (2006). Yohimbine: the effects on body composition and exercise performance in soccer players. Research in Sports Medicine (Print), 14(4), 289–299. https://doi.org/10.1080/15438620600987106
23. M J Millan, A Newman-Tancredi, V Audinot, D Cussac, F Lejeune, J P Nicolas, F Cogé, J P Galizzi, J A Boutin, J M Rivet, A Dekeyne, & A Gobert. (n.d.). Agonist and antagonist actions of yohimbine as compared to fluparoxan at alpha(2)-adrenergic receptors (AR)s, serotonin (5-HT)(1A), 5-HT(1B), 5-HT(1D) and dopamine D(2) and D(3) receptors. Significance for the modulation of frontocortical monoaminergic transmission and depressive states – PubMed. Retrieved April 10, 2023, from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10611634/

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