Hoodia or hoodia gordonii is a natural dietary supplement derived from the African cactus-like plant. For the past many years, this effective diet pill become very very popular to people as an aid in weight loss. However, experts and researchers have not searched thoroughly the side effects of hoodia so they haven’t found out any. This is because this phenomenon is very new to them.
Furthermore, those people who have used authentic hoodia have not reported any bad side effects from the product. While other pills for dieting can cause many symptoms like trembling, increase in heart rate, over stimulation, and dizziness, hoodia users do not complain about these things. Fake hoodia is also very dangerous to our body because we really don’t know what it contains.
Some people who are just starting out to reported to get an upset stomach and feel that this is one of the hoodia effects. However, this side effect has not yet been studied so when people experienced upset stomach when they first started to take hoodia, they will just assume that their body is not yet used to get and consume less food so their stomach aches.
Pfizer’s Research
Pfizer’s researcher Jasjit Bindra, studied the hoodia. According to his research, there were indications that the product might have a bad effect on our liver. He found an active ingredient of hoodia that can cause this negative effect. Furthermore, according to him, it is possible that if it’s the case then the hoodia could interact with the medications prescribed for weak liver and cause much damage. These studies on hoodia safety for the liver are not yet confirmed so thorough studies might come in the future. But in general, hoodia is a safe diet pill.
Taking hoodia is like tricking the brain that the blood sugar of the body is appropriate and at the correct level. So, if you are diabetic, this will be a problem because it could drop greatly your blood sugar level while you are taking hoodia. A diabetic person cannot realize and accurately know how low or high their blood sugar is because the signals given off by their body is not actually right.
Furthermore, besides being a safe appetite suppressant, hoodia also curb any signs of thirst. It could lead you to drink less fluid. This is bad even for a non-diabetic person. Enough fluids are needed by our body to function normally and flush out our body’s waste. While taking hoodia, you must always pay attention to your drinking habit and fluid intake so that you can still get sufficient amount of fluid in your body. You must drink even you don’t feel like drinking or even thirsty.
Is Hoodia Safe to Take?
Hoodia is a good appetite suppressant pill but you should keep your intake of it under control. Hoodia dosage must not be over to its limit. Pregnant women as well as nursing women should not consume any hoodia. The negative side effect for these women is not yet confirmed but it is good to always be safe.