Over the weekend, on one of those debate shows, a group of three gave opinions concerning Oprah’s affect on Americans. The makers, advertisers and web site designers of practically every hoodia gordonii diet pill on the market, mention the hoodia / Oprah connection.

Why does America value Oprah’s opinion so highly? Books mentioned by Oprah become best sellers. Products mentioned by Oprah disappear from shelves. The Oprah hoodia connection is no exception. Hoodia gordonii is an amazing plant, appears to be a powerful appetite suppressant and is helping people lose weight, but why the American public believes it when they hear it from Oprah is an interesting question.

The hoodia Oprah connection was formed in July of 2005, when an article in “O” magazine called “Diet Pills, The Next Generation” mentioned hoodia gordonii. Hoodia is world famous today because of Oprah Winfrey and reporters from 60 minutes and the BBC. Not too many people have anything bad to say about hoodia gordonii. There are cautions concerning buying authentic or genuine hoodia. There are concerns about completion of clinical research, but people who listen to Oprah don’t care.

There are rumors about an “Oprah hoodia” diet pill. There does not appear to be any such product. People have said that Oprah is using hoodia herself. This does not appear to be true either. Oprah has had consistent problems with her weight for as long as the American public can remember. First she is really overweight, and then she slims down. She appears to be on that see-saw or roller coaster that many Americans ride when it comes to controlling their weight. Many of us have lost the same 10 or 20 pounds over and over again throughout our lives. There is nothing amazing about the fact that we continuously search for a miracle weight loss pill. About hoodia, Oprah’s opinions may be right. Research thus far and customer’s testimonials seem to indicate that hoodia works for many people. Like any product, it does not work for everyone, but most people who comment about being dissatisfied with results, find satisfactory results with another product.

The Oprah hoodia article did not support or recommend any product currently on the market. It was a general article, as were the television reports about the effectiveness of hoodia as an appetite suppressant. It is doubtful that any of the reporters or writers who investigated hoodia gordonii would have thought that their comments would prove to be the basis for a nationwide advertising campaign, but at least they gave hope to overweight people everywhere.