LosGatosObserver.com

Hoodia, a cactus like succulent, may be the ultimate slim-fast.

Without even getting into the debate over whether Hoodia is really the elusive Holy Grail of the obese, there is one thing that everyone can agree on. For Hoodia to work, there must be Hoodia. Makes sense, right? It must have the magic cactus—as seen on 60 minutes—that the tribesmen of the Kalahari suck on to stave off hunger when they embark on a long journey, possibly to return a Coke bottle to the gods, who just happened to drop it out of a plane.

But a Santa Cruz prosecutor discovered that the weight-loss supplement DEX L-10, touted for its Hoodia Gorodoni, had about as much Hoodia in it as that fabled Coke bottle—perhaps less, since the pills weren’t even dropped in the Kalahari. Prosecutor Kelly Walker took the manufacturers to court to prevent Breakthrough Engineered Nutrition Inc. from selling their pill in California. And he had a breakthrough. Walker won. The product will now be taken off the shelf in Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid, and GNC.

This hasn’t seemed to bother the company too much. When Walker informed them of the absence of the miracle ingredient in their miracle product, the company responded with a truculent “So sue us.” So that’s what Walker did. As for the people who lost dollars—not pounds—on the product, perhaps they should follow his lead.
Read More in the Santa Cruz Sentinel.

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