Dieters searching for hoodia products because of media coverage or internet promotions will see many brands. Two commonly seen names are H57® hoodia and hoodia 920. One is a real product, the other is not. H57® hoodia by JEC Nutrition is a big seller and is available at many retailers including GNC and Walgreen’s. Hoodia 920 is a product of some spammer’s imagination.

H57, without the ®, is used by several internet companies to draw traffic to their websites. These sites face risks of being prosecuted for trademark infringement by JEC Nutrition, but right now JEC is just trying to let consumers know that those other companies may not be providing the same quality product. Hoodia 920 is also used as a search term by many internet companies, even though it is not a real product; once again to attract traffic to their sites. Since hoodia 920 is not a real product, there is no need for anyone to worry about trademark infringement.

Dieters looking for a pure hoodia product should know that H57 ® hoodia contains other ingredients. Those other ingredients are green tea, cinnamon bark extract and trans-resveratrol. Green tea contains caffeine, a stimulant, and those who are sensitive to caffeine and other stimulants may want to avoid the JEC Nutrition product. There are other products out there which contain pure hoodia extracts or powders. Hoodia XR is one of these. Hoodia 920 does not contain anything.

Cinnamon bark extract is included in H57® hoodia because of its thermogenic, or fat-burning properties. Research indicates that hoodia may increase a person’s metabolism, but there is nothing to indicate that it could be considered a fat-burner. Fat burners work for some people and not for others. Hoodia 920 will not work for anyone.

Trans-resveratrol or resveratrol is a compound found in red wine and is known to have many health benefits, none of which relate to weight loss. JEC Nutrition does not explain why they chose to include resveratrol in H57® hoodia, but it is not something that dieters should be particularly concerned about. Any dieter considering a purchase of hoodia 920 should stop themselves.

Hoodia 920 advertisements and e-mails were probably meant to be a joke. Some of these e-mails included phony testimonials. It is not clear whether the original spammers were also scammers, selling phony products or if the whole thing was strictly meant as a joke. Undoubtedly, many overweight people searching for appetite control did not find the whole thing funny, but some people probably did.

Dietary experts make the following recommendations concerning hoodia products. Consumers should buy hoodia products, like H57® hoodia and Hoodia XR, from a reputable company which sells other dietary supplements. Reviews of hoodia products indicate that it works as an appetite suppressant for some people and does not work for others. This is true of many dietary supplements, not just hoodia. Those dieters who are taking hoodia should remember to eat regular meals and drink plenty of water. Fasting is dangerous and is not recommended by reputable manufacturers. Water is a necessity, because hoodia is known to suppress thirst as well as hunger.