Moringa olifeira – new kid on the weight-loss block
MORINGA oleifera is used by many South Africans as a supplement to help with weight-loss and energy. It is a tree found in various parts of the world and is said to have many health benefits. As a result of this, there are a wide variety of moringa supplements now available, and they are made up of different parts of the tree as well.
Like all plants, moringa contains healthy stuff like natural antioxidants, but whether this makes it superior to other fruits and vegetables remains to be seen.
While some websites like to tout that the plant grows in exotic locations like the Himalayan mountains or Dead Sea, Moringa oleifera can also be grown in more familiar areas, such as Florida.
So what does the science say about moringa? I searched PubMed for evidence of it being an ‘energy blaster’ as one website claims, but found nothing. What I did find was that it contains (even in the leaves) high levels of metals like aluminium, cadmium and lead and that one should really be careful of using extracts that have not been tested for these metals.
Many websites make claims that moringa can help people lose weight so I searched PubMed for: • Moringa weight loss • Moringa obesity While I found no weight loss studies of Moringa oleifera itself, I did locate a study from 2015 that claims that a specific extract from the leaves reduced fat and that it might be an effective dietary food in the fight against diabetes Type 2 in mice. To date, I could not locate human studies.
There is preliminary evidence that extracts from moringa may be effective against cancers like ovar- ian cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, pancreatic cancer and skin cancer, but up to now, no human studies are available.
Since moringa has been given to people in developing countries who don’t get enough to eat, I think it is safe for most people. Will I use it? Not until there are studies showing a real benefit to humans. Also consider the possibility that safety (heavy metal poisoning) could be an issue ...