Weight loss drugs & Weight loss supplements - Hoodia

Hoodia is a natural supplement that is claimed to suppress the appetite and is widely promoted on the Internet, and recently made available in select shops in India too.

Hoodia is a spiny, succulent plant (a plant that retains water in its leaves and stems, like Aloe Vera) that grows in the Kalahari Desert, South Africa. For several years the natives have been chewing the plant to help ward off hunger during their long hunting trips. The Hoodia species with purported appetite-suppressing properties is Hoodia gordonii. In 1997, researchers isolated an extract of the plant called P57 the shortened version of oxypregnane steroidal glycoside P57AS3), which is believed to stimulate feelings of satiety in the brain.

Phytopharm, an English biopharmaceutical company, was licensed in 1997 to develop P57. Hoodia manufacturers and vendors often mention a trial showing that after two weeks, subjects taking Hoodia ate 1,000 fewer calories per day than those taking a placebo. However, the study involved only 18 people, was never peer-reviewed or published; the study was sponsored by Phytopharm.

The only published study has been in rats, which consumed less food after P57 was injected into their brains (Brain Research, Sept. 10, 2004). Although that study shed some light on the extract’s activity (it affected neurons in the hypothalamus), the results clearly don’t apply to humans swallowing a pill or capsule.

Experts claim there aren’t enough Hoodia plants in the world to account for all the alleged Hoodia products on the global market. Therefore, some may contain little or no Hoodia gordonii, include the wrong plant parts, or use questionable plant sources.

We do not yet know the precise dose needed to achieve weight loss or the drug’s safe upper limit. There’s simply too little evidence to say whether any of the Hoodia now on the market works or is safe to use. We may know more down the road, but until then, you should probably avoid it.

Source: Dr. Celeste Robb-Nicholson, M.D, in the August 2008 Harvard Women’s Health Watch, a Health Publication issued by Harvard Medical School.

Is there a quick fix? May be yes, but not for most…

Fat loss at a very fast rate is technically possible but not many can tolerate the hunger, unfailingly stick to low calories and still manage to perform the high levels of exercises required. If at some point of time, you cave in and start binging, you would put on all the weight you lost and then some more – this would be true even when a very aggressive phase of dieting gets over.

Therefore it makes sense to go the moderate way and make slow but steady lifestyle changes. Aim at losing around 0.5 Kg of pure fat every week, and retaining your muscle mass all the while.

0.5 kg per week works out to 26 kgs in a year and that is indeed a huge fat loss. Now do you think that is slow or astonishing? And since you do not gain 26 kgs of fat overnight, you should not be expecting to lose it that fast either. So, the pursuing a quick fix for fat loss is worse than fat itself…

Belly fat can make you feel hungrier: the vicious circle

Dr. Yaiping Yang and his colleagues at the Lawson Health Research Institute (affiliated with The University of Western Ontario) have found that abdominal fat tissue can reproduce a hormone that stimulates fat cell production. In simple words, this might as well mean that the extra fat around the belly is capable of making the person hungrier, so that he eats more, which in turn causes even more fat around the middle.

The hormone responsible for this vicious cycle is called Neuropeptide Y (NPY). Earlier it was believed that only brain produces this hormone; Yang’s research now reveals that NPY is reproduced by abdominal fat tissue as well.

The traditional belief that has existed so far says that one of the main reasons why overweight people eat more food is because their brains produce the hormone NPY in excessive amounts.

The researchers hope this discovery will change in the way we think about and treat abdominal obesity. NPY, Neuropeptide Y, is the most powerful appetite-stimulating hormone known, which sends signals to the humans that they are constantly hungry.

However, Yang, a Professor in the Departments of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Physiology & Pharmacology at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry (University of Western Ontario), has evidence that abdominal fat is also capable of producing NPY.

Fat cells cannot replicate themselves, but NPY can increase the fat cell number by stimulating the replication of fat cell precursor cells, which can then change into fat cells. Quoting Yang, "this may lead to a vicious cycle where NPY produced in the brain causes you to eat more and therefore gain more fat around your middle, and then that fat produces more NYP hormone which leads to even more fat cells."

Being overweight, irrespective of where the fat is stored, is unhealthy. The disturbing point here is, because of its anatomical position and its byproducts, abdominal fat is considered to be the most dangerous. People predisposed to the ‘apple shape’ are at an elevated risk for heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, hypertension and some cancers.

The researchers will be soon investigating whether NPY produced by fat is released into the body's circulatory system and if NPY could potentially be transported in the blood to the brain, where it can act on the brain to stimulate feelings of hunger.

These findings were reported in a recent issue of The FASEB Journal.

All the more reason for you to realize that it is much better to prevent obesity than to go about treating the diseases caused by obesity.

TDEE : Total Daily Energy Expenditure

TDEE is the total amount of calories that you body needs, taking into account all your daily activities. I suggest that you first read my post on BMR, since BMR forms the basis for calculating TDEE.

Once you know your TDEE, all you need to make sure is you consume the exact number of calories to stay as you are, or consume less calories to lose fat or consume excess to put on weight.

Remember that the TDEE calorie total needs to be properly apportioned between the macronutrients to get the desired effect. The right ratio of carbohydrates, proteins and fats should constitute the TDEE calories. You can get the basics of macronutrient ratios in my earlier postings.

Meanwhile, here is a simple formula for calculating the TDEE.

TDEE = BMR x Activity Factor

Activity Factor List:

Sedentary life = BMR x 1.2 (little or no exercise,desk job)
Lightly active = BMR x 1.375 (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk)
Mod. active = BMR x 1.55 (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk)
Very active = BMR x 1.725 (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk)
Extra Active = BMR x 1.9 (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or
2 X day training, marathon, football camp, etc.)

Abdominal fat : Part 2 – the science behind

Research indicates that abdominal fat cells are biologically active. In simple words, this means fat functions as an endocrine organ or gland, producing hormones and other substances that can affect the health. Although scientists are still to fully understand the roles of individual hormones, excess abdominal fat is confirmed to interfere with the normal balance and functioning of hormones.

Visceral fat also generates immune system chemicals called cytokines — two examples would be tumor necrosis factor and interleukin-6 — that can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Such biochemicals produced in the body can have harmful effects on cells’ sensitivity to insulin, blood pressure, and blood clotting.

Excess visceral fat is considered really harmful probably because of its location near the portal vein, which carries blood from the intestinal area to the liver. Substances released by visceral fat, including free fatty acids, enter the portal vein and travel to the liver, where they can influence the production of blood lipids. Visceral fat is directly linked with higher total cholesterol and LDL (bad) cholesterol, lower HDL (good) cholesterol, and insulin resistance.

You can read more on the harmful effects of abdominal fat here.

Now that we know how important it is to fight the fat, the starting point for bringing weight under control, in general, and combating abdominal fat, in particular, is daily moderate-intensity physical activity — at least 30 minutes per day (ideally up to 60 minutes per day) to control weight. Strength training (exercising with weights) may also help fight abdominal fat. Spot exercising, such as doing sit-ups, can tighten the abdominal muscles and pull the belly in, but it won’t burn the visceral fat.

As regards the diet, pay attention to your BMR & TDEE, and emphasize complex carbohydrates (fruits, vegetables, and whole grains) and lean protein over simple carbohydrates such as white bread, polished white rice, and aerated soft drinks. Replacing saturated fats and trans fats with polyunsaturated fats can also help.

Abdominal fat: more sinister than the beer belly, paunch, spare tire, love handles, etc.

The extra Kgs of weight that you carry in your body, often park themselves in and around the abdomen. This is all the more true for people going through their middle years, since the proportion of Body fat storage to body weight increases. Of late, due to the modern lifestyles,this condition is also seen with alarming regularity in the younger generation.

As the waistline grows, so do the health risks. Abdominal fat, also technically referred to as the visceral, needs serious notice since it is a critical factor in the onset of several health problems. Visceral fat is worse than the subcutaneous fat – the one that you can grab with your hand. Visceral fat hides deep within the abdominal cavity, filling up the spaces between the various organs in the abdominal region.

Visceral fat has been shown to be associated with metabolic disturbances and increased risk for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. In women, it is also liked with breast cancer and the need for gallbladder surgery.

Generally speaking, the fat that is evident in the lower half of the body (as in those with the pear shape) is subcutaneous, while fat present in the abdominal area (as in those with the apple shape) is largely visceral. How and where the fat ends up in the body is influenced by several factors, primarily heredity and hormones.

The fortunate thing is that visceral fat reduces fairly easy with regular exercise and proper diet, with lower blood pressure and lower cholesterol levels as ensuing benefits. However, the subcutaneous fat around at the waist — the type that you can pinch with your fingers — can be really difficult to be rid of. Unless you are looking for six-pack abs, it’s generally not considered as much of a health threat as visceral fat – provided you are among the normal-weight people.

..to be continued in Part 2 (click the link)

The macro nutrient ratio: key to losing fat and adding muscle

Proteins, Carbohydrates and Fats are the macro nutrients and their optimal combination helps a lot in improving the muscle to fat ratio in your body.

Your every meal should be planned in such a way that it contains a lean protein, a starchy carbohydrate and a fibrous carbohydrate. Such a combination of protein and fiber lowers the pace of carbohydrate digestion, resulting in consistent energy levels and a sustained supply of nutrients to your body for energy, growth and maintenance. You also tend to eat lesser, in terms of quantity.

The idea that certain types of foods should not be consumed together in combination is just a myth. However, the contrary is true – certain foods, when taken together, can enhance each other’s utilization by the body’s digestive and absorptive processes.

Calorie balance is the most critical consideration when it comes to losing fat but it is not as simple as ‘calorie from anything is just a calorie’. There are other important variables in effective fat loss like the thermic effect of food, the effect of food on hormones and blood sugar levels and finally the macro nutrient ratio of each meal.

Therefore it is important that you calculate your calorie requirement first, and then apportion them into the proper ratios of protein, carbohydrate and fat. And always keep in mind the golden rule that proteins and carbohydrates should be eaten together.

A word of advice – there is NO single magic ratio is ‘the best’ and no single ratio will work for everyone all of the time. Many diet programs claim to offer the ‘perfect’ or ‘magical’ ratio which is the end-all answer to all body fat issues. This is the biggest con ever perpetrated in the annals of fitness history.

Common sense says that nutritional individuality will differ from person to person. Therefore, the macro nutrient ratios must be customized for each person - but there is a sensible point or marker where everyone can start. Going forward, each one should measure the progress and tweak the ratio accordingly.

The starting marker recommended is 55% carbohydrates, 30% proteins and 15% fat of the total calories required by your body. Total calorie requirement = BMR + Activity Induced Requirement (walking, exercising, working etc. Each activity burns a specific amount of calories per hour)

To know more about the body’s daily calories requirement, you can read my posting titled “Understanding the Basal Metabolic Rate : BMR”