Hoodia Gordonii popularity is growing. Hoodia Gordonii is a plant in the Kalahari Desert of South Africa resembling a cactus plant. Hoodia Gordonii is not a cactus plant however, it is a succulent. South African Bushmen have used Hoodia Gordonii to ward off hunger during long desert journeys. Hoodia Gordonii has finally migrated into weight loss supplements offering very effective appetite suppressing benefits. Appetite suppression without any stimulant effects is a great benefit of Hoodia Gordonii. Many weight loss supplements have been short lived because of harmful stimulant side effects.

With obesity and all its related health problems becoming more and more common in the general population, people are becoming desperate to try a "magic pill" that will help them lose weight. As a result, there is a lot of potential harm you can do to yourself if you don’t choose your weight loss supplements wisely.

There are many kinds of weight loss food supplements out in the market today, and they have different functions and mechanisms. Some supplements function on the principle of thermogenics, that is, the body's process of making the metabolism run faster to burn fat faster and more efficiently. A number of herbal supplements can contain ingredients that stimulate the metabolism, such as ephedra (ma huang), green tea extract, caffeine, guarana, or synephrine.

Orlistat more known as Xenical supplements can help reduce at least 25 percent of the excess weight on obese patients. They can also show efficiency on long term maintenance in sustaining body weight. It has also the capabilities to reduce the body’s absorption of cholesterol from foods.

Anorexiants or weight loss supplements should be taken in consonance with proper fat free diet and a strict workout schedule. These supplements result in a quick weight loss. But you must not go for more than required intake of supplements. It could prove disastrous for your health. Natural supplements are often preferred over synthetic supplements as they hardly result in side effects.

For the moment all the weight loss pills can be divided in two huge niches. First niche is prescription weight loss pills. They are medications with efficacy clinically studied. Basically they are approved by official organizations like FDA. But their use is confined by doctor’s prescription, and may be strictly forbidden if we have certain health conditions. Besides, prescription weight loss pills have serious side effects and using them in the long run may lead to tolerance.

Actually very little is known about the effectiveness of weight loss supplements. Ephedra-caffeine products did seem to provide modest success for some people but the potential side effects were serious. The USDA banned the sale of these products in April 2004. There have been a small number of studies on other specific ingredients but many of these studies have included only a small number of people, been of short duration, or followed study procedures that limited the usefulness of the study results.

Weight loss supplements can claim to raise your metabolism, increase your fat burning, suppress your appetite, and increase your energy. Along with diet and exercise, they can compliment your total weight loss program if you don't abuse their use. Becoming dependent on weight loss supplements or relying on them completely for weight loss can increase your risk of dangerous health side effects.