Is an African Tree a Real Weight Loss Miracle?

You might recognize Irvinga gabonensis as a huge source of chatter that stoked up the weight loss community. This may turn out to be another scam like hoodia and acai berry. Irvinga is a high fat nut containing 14% fiber that comes from the West African wild mango tree. The fiber is good for health and weight loss, but is it something special? In a study by a Cameroon research group, 40 obese people were divided into two groups and tested with Irvingia gabonensis versus a placebo to see.
Subjects were tested by taking 1.05 grams of an Invingia extract three times daily for a month. 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. The Irvingia group also had lower blood pressure while LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and total cholesterol went down while HDL cholesterol went up. The reasons for the weight loss are not clear: perhaps that group ate less and the results were not related to any effect from the supplement. In another study by the same group, they combined Cissus quadrangularis with the Irvingia and made three test groups: one with the Irvingia/Cissus blend, one with Cissus only, and another with placebo.
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. This sounds really good to the average person, but someone involved in research would be skeptical.
Result like these should raise questions in your mind before running out to purchase Irvingia at the health food store. 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.
If you want the REAL truth on how to lose weight and burn fat the fastest, using the least amount of effort, then read these 6 tips for quick weight loss.
All the best!
Michael Allen -
Health & Fitness Professional
Author of the best selling book: Fat Loss Factor