A new wonder supplement to help with weight loss has surfaced, although its benefits are not yet fully substantiated and it is not yet freely available in the UK.

It's called Irvingia gabonensis or Wild Mango and comes from West Africa. The tree produces nuts which are edible and nutritious, known locally by different names such as ogbono, etima, or dika nuts. Like other nuts and seeds these nuts are high in fat (50%) , but healthy fat, and also contain about 26% carbohydrate, 7.5% protein, and 14% fibre.

A university epidemiological study in Cameroon had thrown up an unexpected finding, in that people of a certain region had low incidence of obesity, diabetes and related diseases. Further analysis of the findings brought to light the fact that these people were using Irvingia paste to thicken their soups on a very regular basis.

In the light of this, a research group set up a randomised double blind study in 2005 to see if Irvingia gabonensis could help with weight loss. 40 obese subjects, aged between 19 and 52, were divided into placebo and experimental groups. Both were put on a low carbohydrate diet of 1800 calories per day but the latter group were given about 3 grams daily of the Irvingia seed extract. At the end of 30 days the Irvingia group had lost in the region of 11.5 pounds (5.2 kilograms) and the placebo group had lost only 3 pounds (1.33 kilos). The group receiving Irvingia were also found to have benefited by a lowering of blood pressure, and an improvement in their blood cholesterol (ratio of good to bad).

A second study in 2008 confirmed these results, finding again a very substantial weight loss in people taking Irvingia gabonensis extract.This time, interestingly, the researchers noticed that C-reactive protein levels, (an indicator of the level of inflammation going on in the body), were reduced in the Irvingia group. C-reactive protein cross bonds with leptin ( a hormone that inhibits food intake in people of normal body weight) rendering it unable to cross the bloo-brain barrier. The brain cannot then get sufficient leptin-induced appetite control signal. Lowering C-reactive protein levels let the leptin get across the blood-brain barrier to reduce appetite. This may explain the apparent leptin insensitivity of obese people.

These two studies, it has to be said, were carried out by the same research group and there seems to be a lack of any further evidence to support these findings, but on the face of it they do look impressive and certainly warrant further investigation. As things stand there is a strong suggestion that Irvingia gabonensis may have health benefits in controlling and reducing obesity, and in improving blood chemistry and blood pressure. More research needs to be done to substantiate this, and if proven the benefits should be exploited for all.