You have probably noticed Hoodia in the news...

Trust Who?

Hoodia skyrocketed to worldwide attention when Lesley Stahl of 60 minutes hoodia gordonii on her television show and how it affected appetite. Lesley had heard about the newest weight loss sensation and traveled to South Africa to see for herself. On arriving, she was escorted out to the desert to view a small, spindly-looking cactus that was only about 12 inches high. She sampled the plant and noticed its ability to stave off hunger for over 12 hours. Unimpressive though the plant looks, it has some pretty amazing properties that may make it the best selling weight loss supplement of all time.

With all the buzz, you may be wondering if hoodia can really do anything for weight loss.

The truth is that the science is just beginning to be done, but what they have found so far is amazing. Early scientific studies show that Hoodia takes people's appetite away and they consume less calories. The way that Hoodia works is by mimicking the molecules that tell you that you are full. After eating a meal, chemical messengers run through your blood and up to your brain. These chemical messengers tell you that you are full. Hoodia tricks you brain into believing that you are full. Since Hoodia looks like the natural messengers to the brain, there are no side effects. Many common weight loss pills have side effects.

Trust Who?

Since Hoodia was featured on CBS's 60 minutes by Lesley Stahl, repeated on The Early Show and the BBC, others have been interested. The subject of numerous hoodia articles, the plant has become the superstar of the media forcing Katie Couric to do a fairly in depth piece on the Today Show about hoodia. Which of course was followed by a report on ABC's 20/20. Not to be left out, magazines and newspapers joined in with too many stories to mention. Even hoodia and Oprah were included in the fairly conservative O Magazine.

Is Hoodia in the news for good reason?

While there is hype around a lot of supplements, hoodia may be the first big breakthrough is diet pill in the last 100 years. Preliminary studies show that people and animals taking hoodia have a 30% - 60% reduction in the amount of calories that they consume. Since it is much easier to avoid eating calories than to try and burn off calories once you have consumed them, hoodia may be the best way to go.

While it may appear to be too good to be true, hoodia may be your best bet for true weight loss while not feeling hungry.