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Monday, July 21, 2008

The Rise and Fall of Hoodia Gordonii: Part 1 - A Case For Volume of Distribution

by Dana Houser, MD, MHSA, CISSN

Introduction

Although around for many years prior, it was not until Hoodia Gordonii made a special appearance on the primetime show 60 Minutes that allowed it to become a weight-loss celebrity overnight.  Over 40 years of study already saw this exciting ingredient’s potential to offer appetite control, reduce caloric intake, and subsequently result in weight loss with improved cardiovascular disease markers (decreased triglycerides) and even a reversal of diabetes. 

However, with the resulting excitement and race to include Hoodia in many weight loss supplements, it was proclaimed the biggest bust about as quickly as it gained acclaim.  How could this be?  Could more than forty years of support have been nothing more than vested-interest research and/or tainted-anecdotal report?

Not exactly; at least not if we take the concepts of volume of distribution and optimization into effect.  In this article, we’ll discuss volume of distribution; what it means and its application. 

Volume of Distribution

From my own interactions with hundreds of clients and patients that have used Hoodia Gordonii in their battle of the bulge; there seems to first be a volume of distribution effect.  In other words, when you hear me reference the term “volume of distribution,” it is just a scientist’s fancy way of saying that the dose will vary based on body composition.  So, with increased bodyweight, it is likely that you will need to take a higher dose of Hoodia to see the same effects.

Additionally, there appears to be a distinct gender effect playing out here.  This effect is probably due to the difference between primary male and female hormone balance.  For example, in males, there is an increased level of testosterone which contributes to increased muscle mass.  Furthermore, a result of higher levels of testosterone will mean a higher level of calories required to maintain a constant metabolic rate.  Additional caloric requirements will require more Hoodia to have the same effect on hunger management.   

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So, for a 160-pound female, 1200mg per serving may be a great prescription to reap the rewards of Hoodia’s effectiveness.  However, a male of the same size may need a significantly higher dose (say 1800mg) to get the same results.

Real World Clinical Examples

The following chart represents my own case assessments from the last six years in which actual Hoodia Gordonii users have attributed benefit to its appetite suppressive and subsequent weight loss properties.

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Studies have shown people to benefit in different ways though and different dosing parameters than those depicted in the chart have been employed.  In real-world dosing, is still seems as though a relative “saturation dosing” is what will contribute to effects being seen much earlier in a respective user’s trial by bumping up to the next highest dosing category on those scales for about the first week (double dosing not depicted in the chart).  A mechanistic explanation for why this is the case may be due to the steroidal configuration of the particular glycoside. However, actual reasoning remains unknown to date.

Seeing this played out, while employing our dosing chart above, let’s say you have a 124 lb. female looking for appetite suppressant control, week one would probably see her employ 1800mg and week two, she would likely get by with the 1200mg chart dose.  As she continues to lose weight, she could continue to adjust Hoodia downward for added appetite control until she is at her ideal weight.  At that time, she would cease use of the product. 

Conclusion

In this article, we have looked at the concept of volume of distribution and how it plays out in the relative practice of Hoodia Gordonii supplementation.  This is just one reason that the Hoodia craze has been met with resistance despite years of positive results prior to a saturated marketplace. 

In the next part of this series, we’ll tackle the concept of optimization and how this further has compounded the problem leaving Hoodia users very confused at this discrepancy.

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Here are other CureYourBody.com articles on Hoodia Gordonii:

Hoodia Prime By Nature’s Biology Is Put To The Test
Hoodia Gordonii - Finding Scam Free Hoodia
Hoodia Gordonii - The 10:1 and 20:1 Ratio Fraud
Hoodia Gordonii - Getting The Best Product Into Your Body



A discussion thread on this article has been created in the forums. You can discuss this article here:
http://cureyourbody.com/forums/viewthread/771/


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