Christian Little

The availability of Irvinga gabonensis supplements really got the weight loss market stirred up. This may turn out to be another scam like hoodia and acai berry. Those who are looking for some ways on how to lose weight should beware.

The West African bush mango tree produces Irvinga, a high fat, high fiber nut. The fiber is good for health and weight loss, but is it something special?

To find out, 40 obese people were put into two groups and tested with Irvingia gabonensis and a placebo to find out.For a month, these subjects took three 1.05 gram doses of Invingia every day. During the study, they were measured for weight and size, blood pressure, cholesterol, and glucose.

They also kept food and activity journals. The study showed that the Irvingia group lost an average weight of 11.5 pounds while the placebo group lost almost 3 pounds. On average, almost 3 pounds were lost by the placebo group, but the Irvingia group lost an average of 11.5 pounds.

The Irvingia group also had lower blood pressure while LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and total cholesterol went down while HDL cholesterol went up.The supplement may not have had anything to do with the weight loss: it could be that the experimental group just ate less. Can you get the same results with losing weight fast instead of being slow and consistent? I think not.

Later, the same researchers compared a group taking Cissus quadrangularis by itself, a group taking an Irvingia-Cissus blend, and a placebo group in another study.

This time, the Invingia group tested better again across the same measurements. Yet another test was conducted that showed an amazing 28 pound average weight loss over ten weeks, together with improvements in body chemistry. One who understands research might be skeptical of these results, but the average person probably would think the results are wonderful.

Before going to the health food store to buy Irvingia products, you probably should try to find better research. A controlled study would keep its subjects in a place like a hospital where all food and activity can be monitored. The studies I mentioned were not controlled, meaning that there’s no way to verify the self-reported food intakes and there’s no way to tell what else was going on with the people involved.

To make things worse, the same person who has done the research also owns the rights to the product! The results of 28 pounds lost in 10 weeks without changes in exercise or eating would mean that the supplement increased metabolism by 1400 calories per day. Don’t you remember the last miracle pill, Hoodia? To conclude, we’d have to say that the fiber in Irvingia is good, but at $42-$72 for a month’s supply it seems more cost effective to utilize other sources for fiber.

For more information go to our weight loss forum or for a free fat loss report, go to www.fatlossfactor.com.