Supplement Reviews – Lyprinol and Hoodia

Supplement Reviews – Lyprinol and Hoodia

Lyprinol is the brand name of a supplement alleged to be the concentrated marine lipid oil from New Zealand Green-Lipped Mussels. Like so many other natural supplements I have tried it does not live up to the hype. When I received the brochure and it had a picture of a smiling doctor in a white coat I should have known. I discontinued using my other supplements that I take for joint pain, arthritis and inflammation while using the Lyprinol for around 6-8 weeks. I would describe it as somewhat effective for arthritis and inflammation, but not nearly as good as the varying combination of supplements that I usually take and recommend in my book. I would recommend the actual Green-Lipped Mussels, which I have seen for sale at my favorite Asian market or the powdered capsules instead.

Hoodia has become very popular as a natural diet supplement. When you get your hands on the real thing (there are many cheap, ineffective versions) it is effective as an appetite suppressant. I tried it and it suppressed my appetite. It probably can be used safely by people who have a fast or normal metabolism, but these people are rarely interested in Hoodia because they are already thin. The problem, and reason why I do not recommend Hoodia, is that it causes people to eat less frequently which slows down their metabolism. Most people get very excited at first. The Hoodia is working, they are going whole days barely eating anything and losing weight. Then they stop taking it and their metabolism is slower than ever, all the weight is regained and more. The cycle of YO-YO dieting continues. The problem is not really the Hoodia; it is the way people try to use it as a magical pill to replace healthy eating habits. If you are trying to lose fat you must train yourself to eat 5-7 small meals/snacks a day to reset your metabolism. There is no shortcut around this.

Supplements will never be as good as whole foods! I was talking to a friend once who was suffering from depression, ADHD and untreated alcoholism. He told me he was going to admit himself to a treatment center where they would counsel him and put him on pharmaceutical drugs. I knew that he had family in Alaska so I suggested that he go stay in Alaska with family for a couple of weeks and eat 2 pounds of Alaskan Salmon each day. The fresh air, peaceful environment and high dose of natural Omega-3 Fish Oil would probably have cured him. He went to the treatment center. Since we all can’t go to Alaska on retreat there is a need for whole-food supplements. The food that the supplement came from would always be better but this is not always practical in our modern world.

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