Kola Nut Review

What You Should Know

Kola nut is a nut of various trees related to the cocoa family that are grown in North Africa. In the past, this was used in cola soft drinks though these now usually use synthetic flavorings to reproduce the taste of the original nut. As well as being used as a flavoring, kola nuts have been used as a treatment for various ailments including hunger, fatigue, to aid digestion and to help with intoxication recovery.

Ingredients

Found naturally in kola nuts is caffeine, theobromine, theophylline, catechine, epicatechine, D-catechine, , phenolics, phlobaphens, kola red, betaine, protein, starch, fat, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, ascorbic acid, betaine, sugar, gum, cellulose, water, calcium, potassium, iron, beta-carotene and tannic acid.

Product Features

Before taking kola nut it is extremely important to take certain factors into consideration which is especially important in those who are nursing or pregnant. There have been many noted side effects of this product ranging from mild to severe. These have included heart attacks, irregular heartbeat, stroke, psychosis and conditions such as headaches, dizziness and gastroenteritis.

The FDA came to the conclusion that products containing kola nut, which include a variety of diet supplements, are a threat to health and can cause serious problems, therefore legislation was introduced to encourage all products containing kola nut to be reformulated to remove the kola nut ingredient. This legislation has stalled due to lack of scientific evidence so kola nut can still be found in many different products such as energy drinks.

Ingestion of kola nut can result in stimulant effects that can have an impact on the central nervous system as well as the heart. The effects of kola nut may last for up to 6 hours after it is ingested.

Advantages

• Kola nut may help suppress the appetite slightly.
• Kola nuts are all natural.

Disadvantages

• Some products contain too much kola nut which may lead to some of the more severe side effects if taken on a regular basis.
• There has been legislation in the US based on kola nut which claims it may be dangerous.
• Kola nut contains caffeine.

Conclusion

Kola nut, like any other herb that contains stimulants, can often be labeled as something more dangerous than it really is. When you take any product that contains a stimulant, as long as you follow the instructions and use moderation, you should be just fine. Kola nut offers a boost in energy, a decrease in appetite, and even has slight thermogenic properties which makes it a very common ingredient in energy drinks and diet supplements. Many websites focus on the negative properties of kola nut because people take more than they should. If used in moderation, kola nut can be a fairly cheap addition to your weight loss regimen but you should avoid any other caffeine intake.