Hoodia is a medication used for the treatment of obesity. The drug showed great effectiveness in clinical trials.
Hoodia is manufactured in the form of capsules. Each bottle contains 60 capsules.
Each capsule weighs 750mg
The content of the drug is natural (it is made from natural plant).
Besides active ingredient P57 molecule it contains Stearic Acid, Magnesium Stearate and Gelatin.
The drug is safe and is unlikely to cause any adverse side effect.
Hoodia is much different from diet supplements like Ephedra or Phenfen which are now prohibited because of adverse side effects. Hoodia`s active ingredient deceive your brain that you are totally satiated.
Hoodia Gordonii is the plant from which Hoodia capsules are made from. Hoodia Gordonii is also known as Xhoba. This plants looks like cactus and it has long been used by African tribes to suppress hunger. Hoodia Gordonii belongs to Asclepiadaceae family.
Approximately 20 species belong to the family of Asclepiadaceae.
When growing it forms multi-stemmed stems 12 inches wide and 12 inches high. The plant smells unpleasant and tastes bitter. It bears pale purple flowers. In the mature state the plant measures six feet long and may live a whole century or even more.
The Hoodia Gordonii plant grows in the southwestern regions of Africa and is still actively used by aboriginals when going on long-term hunting expeditions.
Obesity In Women
Obesity is a common problem these days, every women is facing this problem. In women, obesity is the cause of many other diseases. Obesity is a condition which is defined by an excess amount of fat in the body. Obesity in general indicates weight over and above what is considered healthy. Obesity can be best defined by using the BMI (body mass index) which is calculated using a person's weight and height. The ideal BMI for an adult is in the range of 18.5-24.9 and anything over 25 is considered overweight and over 30 is considered as obese.
Health Risks associated with Obesity
The following are the health risks associated to Obesity:
- Insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes: Insulin is necessary to transport the blood glucose into the muscular or fatty cells. Insulin resistance is a condition in which the transportation ability of the glucose is hampered. Due to obesity, the insulin resistance of cells increases thereby causing the pancreas to produce more insulin to overcome the resistance. Pancreas can overcome this insulin resistance for a limited time. However, once the pancreas cannot keep up with the higher production of insulin, blood glucose levels in the body begins to rise, resulting in Type 2 diabetes.
- High blood pressure and hypertension: Obesity tends to increase the blood pressure in women, along with causing hypertension.
- High cholesterol and heart attack: Obesity tends to cause high cholesterol in the body. In case of high cholesterol, the coronary arteries which take the blood to the heart get blocked as fat tends to get deposited along the arteries. This tends to reduce the flow of the blood, thereby causing a heart attack
- Cancer: Obesity has been linked to causing cancer of the gallbladder, uterus and the colon in case of women. Obesity has also associated with breast cancer, especially in post-menopausal women.
- Osteoarthritis: Obesity causes degenerative arthritis of the hips, knees and the lower back in case of women.
Causes of Obesity
The following are the causes of obesity:
- Overeating: Foods, high in sugar or fats, like fast food, fried food, sweets etc. have a lot of calories which when overeaten tend to cause weight gain
- Physical inactivity: Due to physical inactivity, the amount of fat which needs to get burnt, does not burn which leads to a weight gain, thus underlining the fact that inactive people tend to be more obese than active people.
- Frequency of eating: Research has observed that people, who eat small meals four to five times a day, daily, tend to have a lower cholesterol levels and blood sugar level as compared to those who have around two to three large meals per day. Small frequent meals tend to produce a stable insulin level as compared to large meals, which tends to produce large spikes of insulin.
- High carbohydrates diet: Carbohydrates tend to increase the blood glucose levels, which in turn stimulates the pancreas to release insulin which leads to the growth of fat tissue and causing weight gain.
- Apart from this, there are other reasons for obesity like genetics, medications, psychological factors, hormones, several diseases and social issues which are beyond the control of human beings.
Treatment for Obesity
- Eating smaller portions of meals at higher frequencies: In order to reduce obesity, one must take proper diet and eat smaller portions of meals at larger frequencies, as compared to larger portions for lesser frequencies. Trying to diet is a short tem solution, which might work immediately, but the fats tend to return, as soon as one goes back to having the normal diet.
- Increased physical activity: Physical activity and exercise helps burn calories and this amount of calories burned depend on the type, intensity and the duration of the activity. It also depends to a large extent on the weight of the person.
- Eating smart: One needs to focus on eating healthy foods as compared to fatty or sugary foods. Also, one needs to change his or her diet as recommended by a doctor for weight reduction.
- Surgeries: Obesity can also be fought with, by undergoing surgeries such as bariatric surgery. There are two types of surgeries which can be performed:
Restrictive surgery: In case of this surgery, the size of the stomach is restricted and the digestion is slowed down. To make the stomach smaller, esophagus is banded vertically and earlier in the stomach and this is called as gastroplasty. The other procedure is gastric banding in which an inflatable pouch is inserted which causes gastric constriction.
Malabsorptive surgery: This surgery also restricts the size of the stomach but along with that, it also bypasses or removes a part of the digestive system to decrease absorption of food/calories. Here, stomach is stapled creating a small pouch to which the intestine is attached to decrease food absorption, and this process is called as Roux-en-Y gastric bypass.
Maintaining ideal body weight is a balancing act between the calories needed by the body and the food consumed, and with proper consumption of food and right physical activity, obesity can be avoided.