Proactol Medical Review - How Does it Work?

Studies Confirm The Weight Loss Properties Of Proactol

By Matt Denos, PhD

Obesity is one of the leading preventable causes of death worldwide. Throughout antiquity, obesity was perceived as a sign of wealth and fertility, but modern public health officials know only too well that obesity leads to major health problems. These include type 2 diabetes, heart disease, obstructive sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, stroke and cancer. While a small percentage of cases are caused by medical conditions or genetics, the primary cause of obesity is an imbalance between caloric intake and physical activity.

Treatment for obese individuals first takes the form of adjustments to diet and adoption of an exercise regimen. However, this first level approach often ends in failure due to the subject’s inability to comply with the program’s requirements.

The second level approach is pharmacological therapy. Phentermine, orlistat and sibutramine are common medications used to achieve weight loss. However, while initially effective, these drugs may have negative side effects, in some cases even including increased risk of stroke and heart attack. At the end of treatment, the subject may experience rebound weight gain as well as drug addiction.

The third level approach is surgical intervention. Bariatric surgery is only used as a last resort due to the possibility of severe and life-threatening complications. An intragastric balloon may be inserted into the stomach to reduce its volume in an attempt to curb appetite. Similarly, the stomach may be stapled. In an attempt to reduce the absorption of nutrients, the bowel may be shortened – an irreversible procedure that permanently hinders natural digestive processes.

Having failed at the first level approach and fearful of the harmful nature of levels two and three, many people look to herbal medicine in the hopes of finding a benign remedy for obesity. Herbal substances that contain anti-obesity properties are the focus of a great deal of positive attention as they offer a natural alternative to harmful products and procedures.

Proactol – A Natural Alternative Medicine

Proactol is a natural anti-obesity medicine whose active ingredient is NeOpuntia, a patented lipophilic fiber complex derived from Opuntia ficus indica (prickly pear) cactus leaves. The extraction process is free of chemicals and solvents, and the resulting product is certified vegetarian, organic and kosher.

Cactus leaves, or nopales, and cactus stems, or clodades, have traditionally been used for both human cuisine and animal fodder due to their high nutrition value and water content. Cultivation of the cactus is widespread throughout Mexico, its country of origin, as well as South America, Italy, Turkey, and Africa. Prickly pear cactus is often used for soil reclamation and as a natural barrier. However, it is the remarkable nutritional qualities and natural anti-obesity factors of the Opuntia ficus indica cactus that have drawn the attention of the neutraceutical industry.

Early studies using animal subjects showed that consumption of either nopales or clodades lowered levels of harmful LDL (low density lipoprotein) cholesterol by 34% without affecting levels of beneficial HDL (high density lipoprotein) cholesterol [2]. In addition, the cactus contains soluble and insoluble fibers that naturally slow down the assimilation of sugar and that bind lipids, preventing their absorption.

Through a patented process, Bio Serae Laboratories was able to create NeOpuntia, an extract with enhanced fat binding properties. NeOpuntia is the active ingredient in Proactol, a commercially available diet pill. NeOpuntia’s effectiveness lies in its ability to prevent the absorption of lipids. In this way, it minimizes the caloric contribution of lipids to the total energy content of food.

Many herbal supplements come with unsubstantiated claims, but NeOpuntia’s declarations of efficacy and safety have been backed by scientific research, and the herb’s fat-binding properties have been tested in five major clinical studies, which were conducted by independent laboratories, including InQpharm.

Study 1. A Gastrointestinal Model Is Used To Test Proactol’s Fat-Binding Properties

This study tested the hypothesis that NeOpuntia binds ingested lipids, preventing their absorption, as food progresses through the digestive system.

The mechanism by which lipids are absorbed by the human gastrointestinal tract is as follows: Nutrients in the form of proteins, carbohydrates and fats are absorbed exclusively in a water-soluble form. The fats – or lipids – are not water-soluble. In order for them to be absorbed, they must be converted into “micelles” by bile salts. After a meal, the gallbladder releases the necessary bile salts, which coat the outside of the spherical micelles. The lipids are hidden within the water-soluble micelles, and are thus taken up by the small intestine.

A device known as a TIM 1 TNO-gastrointestinal model was used to test the theory that NeOpuntia would bind the lipids before they could be converted into micelles. The TIM 1 model accurately replicates the digestive process of a human being’s stomach and small intestine. For this study, the contents of a typical American breakfast were added to the “stomach” compartment of a TIM 1 model and allowed to digest for four hours. In the first experiment, 2 grams of NeOpuntia were added to the meal. In the control experiment, NeOpuntia was not added. The experiments proved that the presence of NeOpuntia prevented absorption of 23% of the lipids found in a standard American breakfast.

 Study 2. Proactol’s Effect on Fat Excretion in Human Test Subjects

Human subjects were used to test NeOpuntia’s ability to bind lipids. Ten healthy volunteers with normal body weight participated in this examination of NeOpuntia’s impact on the meal digestion process. The first study found that NeOpuntia would bind the lipids when consumed with a meal. The second study built on those findings to test the hypothesis that the binding quality would prevent the absorption of lipids from the small intestine. An excess of fat in the test subjects’ feces would prove the theory.

The study group of 5 men and 5 women were divided randomly into two test groups, and were made to follow a standardized diet in order to ensure an identical intake of lipids. The only difference was that the NeOpuntia group was given a capsule containing 1.6 grams of the patented formula with their meal, whereas the control group was given a capsule containing a placebo.

The NeOpuntia group exhibited a mean increase of 27.4% excreted fat in their feces, but otherwise experienced no adverse reactions or symptoms. The results proved that NeOpuntia does prevent the absorption of fat (lipids) in the human gastrointestinal tract.

Study 3: Proactol Does Not Create Vitamin Deficiency

In the fight against obesity, fat blockers are powerful weapons. This is because they are able to inhibit the absorption of fat, which has more than twice the calories per gram as either protein or carbohydrate. However, fats play an important role in the digestive system, since they allow the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins A and E. Substances that inhibit the absorption of lipids generally result in a deficiency of fat-soluble vitamins. Alli, a fat blocker sold over the counter, can inhibit the absorption of vitamin E by up to 60%.

The following test was devised to examine the effects of NeOpuntia on the fat-soluble vitamins A and E: a mixture of sunflower oil containing the quantities of the fat-soluble vitamins that a person would normally consume in the course of a day was put into a TIM 1 gastrointestinal model, along with 1.6 grams of NeOpuntia. It was observed that NeOpuntia did not bind to the vitamins. It was concluded that the fat binding properties of NeOpuntia do not extend to vitamins A and E and therefore do not reduce absorbed levels of these fat-soluble vitamins.

Study 4: Proactol’s Effect On Appetite Levels

Appetite reduction can be achieved by inducing a feeling of fullness, or satiety. To test NeOpuntia’s effect on appetite, a study was conducted on human test subjects in Berlin, Germany. Caucasian subjects were randomly divided into a Control Group and a NeOpuntia Group. Each group was instructed to adhere to a specific diet, which consisted of a quotidian intake of 2500 calories.

After 3 days of adhering to the diet plan, which included a capsule of NeOpuntia with each meal, the subjects in the NeOpuntia group experienced a decrease in average body weight of 1.7 lbs. The weight decrease corresponded to a measured increase in steatorrhea – the excretion of fat in the feces. Furthermore, all of the group showed very good tolerability, and 80% of the NeOpuntia group described satiety feelings that ranged from moderate to strong. The control group did not report similar feelings of satiety.

 Study 5. Proactol’s Effect on Syndrome X

 Syndrome X, or Metabolic Syndrome, is a collection of medical disorders that put a person at increased risk of heart attack. The International Diabetes Federation lists the disorders as: increased waist circumference (abdominal obesity), elevated triglycerides, elevated fasting glucose levels, high blood pressure, high LDL (bad) cholesterol levels and low HDL (good) cholesterol levels.

To determine NeOpuntia’s effect on this collection of metabolic disorders, a double-blind study was conducted in France in the summer of 2006. Of the sixty-eight women that participated in the study, 35 were part of the NeOpuntia group that consumed a capsule containing 1.6 grams of the patented fiber complex within an hour after each meal. The control group consisted of the remaining thirty-three women who took placebo capsules. All of the test subjects exhibited signs of Syndrome X. They were all put on a program that included a 2000-calorie balanced diet and were instructed to engage in 30 minutes of exercise daily. After 42 days of following the protocol, the subjects were tested for their blood lipid parameters: total cholesterol, including LDL and HDL levels, and triglycerides.

Improvements were seen across the board due to the improved diet and exercise. The control group showed a decrease in both good and bad cholesterol. However, Syndrome X still affected 92% of the women in the control group at the end of the study.

The NeOpuntia group showed a marked increase in HDL (good) cholesterol. Since High Density Lipoprotein cholesterol is associated with a lower risk of heart attack, this was an important finding. Blood pressure, triglyceride levels and abdominal obesity were reduced in the group that took NeOpuntia. By the end of the study, 39% of the participants in the NeOpuntia group no longer showed signs of Syndrome X.

The exact biological mechanisms by which NeOpuntia mitigates Syndrome X are as yet unknown. It is possible that a significant role is played by the high fiber content of the nopales – the cactus leaves – and also by the antioxidants, such as lutein and carotenoids, that are present in large quantities in the prickly pear cactus.

Summation

The proven chemical affinity that NeOpuntia has shown for lipids represents a breakthrough for people looking for a safe means of accelerating weight loss. The effectiveness of Proactol as lipid blocker has raised its demand to levels higher than the ones for promotional coupons for Medifast, Nutrisystem diet promotional discounts and Bistro MD savings coupons–three popular diet programs in the US. In addition, unlike other natural weight loss products, such as Hoodia gordonii, the abundant and ecologically sustainable nature of the prickly pear cactus means that there will be no scarcity of the raw material needed to create Proactol’s active ingredient.  Backed by scientific studies, Proactol has proven to be a safe and effective diet pill for the purpose of losing weight and achieving optimum health.