Coming from a tree that is native to the Himalayas, Moringa Oleifera is a substance that has been known for centuries for it’s culinary uses, as well as it’s detoxifying effects. More recently it has been made popular by claims that it may help people lose weight.
Made popular by television’s Dr. Oz, this plant product is believed to help with digestion, as well as raise energy levels. There are also claims that Moringa Oleifera is an appetite suppressant. So is it really effective in helping people lose weight? Or are the claims of this substance simply blown out of proportion? We decided to find out.
Moringa Oleifera comes from a plant that is native to the Himalayas, so there is no one company that produces it. There are however, many companies that provide this ingredient as a supplement or in the ingredient list of their products. Some of these companies include Organic India, Genesis Today, Bio Nutrition and Moringa Source to name a few. Moringa Oleifera can be purchased from online retailers or in stores that sell nutritional supplements.
It is claimed by various nutritional supplement companies that Moringa Oleifera can provide it’s user with a boost of energy that is claimed to help people lose weight, since they will be more active. Moringa Oleifera is also claimed to help suppress appetite.
Despite these claims, there has been no clinical evidence to suggest that this plant substance can help suppress appetite or help with weight loss.
Moringa Oleifera has long been used in culinary dishes because it is known to be full of vitamins and may help with malnutrition. Vitamins that may be found within this plant include vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B3, vitamin
B5, vitamin 6, vitamin B9 and vitamin C. Moringa Oleifera is also known to be a good source of trace metals, such as iron, magnesium, calcium, manganese and potassium.
In addition to this Moringa Oleifera is believed to help raise energy levels and suppress appetite, although there has not been enough scientific evidence to back up claims that it is effective in helping people lose weight.
Moringa Oleifera bark is known to cause uterine contractions. The extracts of this plant may also cause infertility. Alkaloids within this plant may also cause low blood pressure and a reduced heart rate. It is important to avoid eating the root or extracts of this substance, as there are toxins within it. Moringa Oleifera is also not recommended for women who are pregnant or breast feeding.
This plant is known as a great source of vitamins and minerals. Some of these include vitamin A, vitamin B3, vitamin C, iron, calcium and magnesium. This plan has also long been used to help prevent malnutrition as well.
While there are definite good things about this plant, the fact of the matter is that there has been no scientific proof that Moringa Oleifera can actually help people lose weight. There’s the theory that the energy that it provides is supposed to make you more active, but that stays in the realm of theory. Just because a substance may give you energy, that doesn’t mean it will have you losing weight. A soda has sugar in it, but does that mean the energy it provides makes you want to work out?
Another problem with this plant substance is that when companies use it in their products, the may add other ingredients to it that will nullify, if not greatly dilute the effects of Moringa Oleifera. It’s always important to check what else is going into your dietary supplements.
Moringa Oleifera is also not recommended for women who are pregnant as there are toxins within this plant that may cause miscarriages. This plant may also not be safe for children who are breastfeeding, as there has not been enough research to prove that it is safe.
There is no doubt that this plant is healthy to consume. However just because it is healthy, that doesn’t mean that it will help you lose weight. It may give you an energy boost, but that’s about it.
Bottom Line:
Although full of essential vitamins and minerals, the reality of the matter is that Moringa Oleifera will not help you lose weight on it’s own. It may help raise your energy levels, but it’s a correlation to say that it will help you lose weight. That’s not to mention that when included with other ingredients, the effects of this plant may be diluted. Other dietary supplements are not prone to these issues. So while you shouldn’t ignore this plant, your better off looking elsewhere if you want to lose weight.
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