Anaheim, CA—Research published in the Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism indicates a branded Caralluma fimbriata extract may be beneficial for those looking to lose weight. This extract from a plant widely consumed in India is said to offer satiety and metabolic benefits.

In the small animal study, mice were either untreated, given a high-fat diet or given the same diet plus the extract (Slimaluma from Gencor Nutrients, based here) for three months. Feeding behavior and body weight were monitored. 

Overall, those in the high-fat diet group ate significantly more than the others, while the extract group ate the least. By the end of the experiment, all groups gain some weight. The high-fat group gained the most, while the untreated and the extract-plus-diet group gained about the same amount of weight (which was significantly less than the high-fat group). The group also felt that the extract reduced the effects of other factors associated with obesity and that 50 mg/day of C. fimbriata was the “optimal dose for preventing diet-induced changes in body weight, hormones, fat pads and liver.”

 

Published in WholeFoods Magazine, March 2011 (online 1/26/11)