What Are The Best Natural Appetite Suppressants?

Description: A cactus native to South Africa, this protected species is "claimed" to be able to suppress the appetite thanks to the action of the novel P57 molecule.

Possible issues: Because hoodia is an endangered species that takes several years to grow to maturity, there is a great likelihood that the majority of hoodia products on the market don't contain any hoodia. According to Mike Adams of NewsTarget.com, up to 80% of the Hoodia sold on the market is counterfeit, with 60% of the products sold in the U.S. failing laboratory verification.

Study status: No peer-reviewed, published clinical data exists to demonstrate the appetite suppressing qualities of hoodia.

Interesting stuff: In December 2004, PhytoPharm teamed up with Unilever (who owns SlimFast, Knorr, and Hellman's, among other things), and committed to bringing the active P57 molecule to the market within 3 years.

At the end of 2008 (as announced in this document) Unilever terminated its relationship with PhytoPharm and the development of a hoodia-based weight loss product—making it even more difficult to believe that's there's any real merit to hoodia for weight loss.

Anecdotal reports: Some people report appetite suppression when using credible hoodia-based products. Our "in the trenches" product tester Amie experimented with hoodia and wrote about her experiences here! In short, she found that hoodia curbed her appetite significantly, but nevertheless, didn't end up losing weight.

Recommendation: Real, quality hoodia products (like the Hoodoba brand) are expensive and have little in the way of scientific evidence to validate their effectiveness. Is hoodia worth trying just to see?

It's a decision you have to make. It's certainly not your most cost effective option, and certainly not recommended if you're on a tight budget.

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Description: The popular name for a small Brazilian tree, Cordia salicifolia. It is marketed as a weight loss supplement and as an appetite suppressant.

Possible issues: N/A

Study status: No peer-reviewed, published clinical data exists to demonstrate the fat burning or appetite suppressing qualities of Cha de Bugre.

Anecdotal reports: Some users, including our own scientific and technical advisor Elissa, have found Cha de Bugre to exhibit moderate appetite suppressing characteristics.

Recommendation: Not much science supporting it, but cheap enough to experiment with (as little as $10 at iHerb.com - use the coupon code FAT259 to get $5 off your first order).

Description: Occasionally labeled as "konjac" or "amorphophallus konjac", glucomannan is an un-absorbable polysaccharide that is derived from the konjac root. In short, it is a source of fiber. There are many glucomannan based products on the market, including PGX Daily and Lipozene.

Possible issues: Glucomannan pills can occasionally get stuck in the esophagus and cause a blockage. One study bears this out, indicating that glucomannan-based supplements can pose a hazard for individuals with a history of upper gastrointestinal pathology.

Study status: There is some clinical data to validate glucommanan's ability to increase satiety, lower LDL cholesterol, blood lipid levels and blood sugar levels (especially in diabetics) and help with weight loss. See the full glucomannan review for accompanying clinical references.

Anecdotal reports: Some users find glucommanan helps them feel full longer, and eat less at mealtimes.

Recommendation: Cheap and worth a try (a 180-capsule bottle is just under $10 at BodyBuilding.com). If the capsules are too big for you, break them open and sprinkle them over your food.

Description: Native to India, this plant's leaves have been used as a traditional natural remedy for diabetes. In weight loss products, it's used to inhibit the ability to taste sweetness as well as the intestinal absorption of glucose. It may also have an "anti-diabetic" effect. Not a "true" appetite suppressant, but may help in this manner, if it does suppress sweetness.

Possible issues: N/A

Study status: There is a small body of preliminary evidence indicating gymnema may indeed provide benefits for dieters. One problem though; the majority of studies showing the inhibition of the ability to taste sweet or bitter were performed primarily on rats and mice (for more accompanying study references, please see the glossary listing).

Anecdotal reports: We have received no anecdotal reports on gymnema.

Recommendation: Up to you if you'd like to experiment. A 6-week supply is pretty reasonably priced (about $14 at a reputable online retailer like BodyBuilding.com).

Description: An Indian cactus marketed as an appetite suppressant.

Possible issues: N/A

Study status: One study validates caralluma's weight loss and appetite suppressing benefits, although they are relatively modest.

Anecdotal reports: Customer testimonials and feedback on Dex-C20 (a caralluma-based supplement) and Slimaluma® (the patented version of caralluma) is mixed; some folks found it helpful for appetite suppression, others found it did nothing.

Recommendation: It's cheap enough to experiment with (under $15 for 60 caps) should you think it is warranted. Try Now brand's SlimaLuma Plus (which also contains green tea extract and yerba mate) for two weeks and see if it helps.

Description: A highly nutritious protein derived from milk, and used by bodybuilders for its anti-catabolic properties.

Possible issues: Casein is potentially allergenic, although most milk allergies are formed during early childhood.

Study status: Casein protein offers numerous documented benefits (see the full review for accompanying clinical references) but nothing has been documented pertaining to appetite suppression or satiety.

Anecdotal reports: Because casein is a slow-digesting protein, some people find supplementing with a casein protein can help them feel full longer, thus reducing their appetite.

Recommendation: If you're already using a protein supplement, it might be worthwhile to switch to a quality casein based product. For individuals not supplementing with a protein powder, and have no interest in doing so, perhaps one of the other options on this page would be a better choice.