Abstract
During long hunting trips, the now extinct ‘Kung tribe members from southern Africa munched on Hoodia cactus to stave off their hunger. Now the company Phytopharm (Cambridgeshire, UK) has capitalized on this observation and has isolated a compound named P57, which suppresses appetites. The ingredient has already been shown to produce weight loss in obese rats and has just completed safety trials with humans. Tests on obese subjects will start later this year. Normally, the cactus grows sparsely in the desert, but areas of the desert in South Africa have now become Hoodia farms. Obesity is a worldwide problem affecting 100 million people enough to seek medical intervention. [Firn, D. (2001) The Financial Times (London) 11 April, p. 2; Allen, N. (2001) The Press Association, 11 April] TS
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
