Prickly Pear

[chefmel]

I know that some diet pills contain prickly pear. What does this ingredient do or how do people claim that it helps with weight loss? Is it just another unproven ingredient or does it actually have some promise in terms of helping with weight loss?

[1000kw]

Prickly pear, which is also known as Opuntia, is supposed to help you feel fuller for longer and some believe that it bind to dietary fats to help reduce fat absorption. No idea if it does these things but it has been studied.

[Nelly]

I think research has found that it does bind to dietary fats. I think whether or not it is effective has to do with how much you exercise and how well you control your diet and the number of calories you ingest.

[anne]

It's probably an okay ingredient if you combine it with a low-fat diet, watch your calories and you exercise. Pretty much like anything else, how effective it is depends on the other efforts you make.

[lia]

isn't this just a cactus plant? I think my neighbor has one in his backyard...they use it in diet pills??

[Tiff]

Yes, it is a cactus plant. That said, it is also used for medicinal purposes like a whole whack of other plants that you might find in someone's house or yard. Personally, I have no idea how effective it might be, but the common belief is that it does help to reduce fat. I don't think it's a fat binder or anything but it tends to be in OTC products that claim to do that.

[chefmel]

So...pretty much some studies look promising but no one really knows if it actually works or not...is there any OTC weight loss ingredient that is known to actually be effective??