Benefits
Body weight in placebo-controlled trials
In five placebo-controlled trials of 200 to 400 mg a day for 8 to 16 weeks in adults with overweight or obesity, weight fell more than on placebo. Four came from one Cameroonian research group and reported 4.3 to 11.15 kg lost without dieting. The only trial run elsewhere, a maker-funded US study, found 4.11 versus 2.19 lb over 60 days (p = 0.05), a far smaller effect.
Waist size and body fat percentage
In trials from the Cameroonian group, waist size and body fat fell more than on placebo: waist by 10.72 versus 0.77 cm over 8 weeks in adults with obesity and metabolic syndrome, and DEXA body fat from 19.7% to 15.2% of body weight over 12 weeks in a maker-funded trial, with almost no change on placebo. No other group has repeated these results.
Weight and body fat in two US trials
In 56 adults, 300 mg a day of Dyglomera for 60 days gave about 2 lb more weight loss than placebo, a borderline result (p = 0.05) in a maker-funded trial. In 68 adults, a 12 week thermogenic formula with 300 mg of an unnamed D. glomerata extract lowered fat mass by 0.71 kg from baseline (p = 0.08), changes its authors called clinically insignificant.
Food cravings, mood and quality of life ratings
In the maker-funded US trial of 300 mg a day for 60 days, food cravings, perceived stress, mood and health-related quality of life scores improved more than on placebo. These were secondary, self-rated outcomes in 56 adults, and the trial was registered after its data were collected.
Cholesterol, triglycerides and fasting glucose as blood markers
The Cameroonian group reported lower total and LDL cholesterol, triglycerides and fasting glucose than placebo. Falls were largest in its first trial (total cholesterol down 43.67% in 8 weeks) and smaller in the latest, where LDL and HDL changes were not significant after adjustment. No trial used a glucose tolerance test.
GLP-1 and DPP-4 activity measured in blood
In a 16 week trial of 400 mg a day in 228 adults who finished, blood GLP-1 after a meal rose 38.6 versus 4.7 pg/mL on placebo, and DPP-4 fell 15.3% versus 2.9%. This one trial was registered almost two years after it began, several authors work for its funder, and its tables list satiety scores above the 0 to 10 scale maximum.
Mechanism of action
Fat cell signaling in mice and cells (AMPK)
In mice fed a high-fat diet for 7 weeks, Dyglomera at 25 to 100 mg/kg gave less weight gain than the high-fat control, with no difference in food intake, and raised AMPK activation in fat tissue while lowering fat-building proteins. Cell work showed the same pattern. The authors worked for NUON Co., a Korean company, and thanked Gateway for the sample and support; no human study measured AMPK.
DPP-4, the enzyme that breaks down GLP-1
DPP-4 is the blood enzyme that inactivates GLP-1, a gut hormone tied to fullness and insulin release. One trial reported lower DPP-4 and higher GLP-1 on the extract than on placebo, but it measured DPP-4 with an immunoassay kit rather than the activity assay its registry named. The maker cites this as a GLP-1 mechanism, but no other study has measured it in people.
Polyphenols, with no single active compound identified
The extract has been standardized to total polyphenols (10% in 2013, 25% in 2025) or to the flavonoids myricetin and luteolin. Which compounds, if any, account for the trial results has not been shown, and the different standardizations make it unclear whether every trial used the same material.
Clinical trials
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial at the University of Yaounde 1; 200 mg Dyglomera capsules (not less than 10% polyphenols, supplied by Gateway Health Alliances) or maize powder before meals; no funding statement and no trial registration reported; the authors declared no competing interests, although senior author Julius Oben is the named inventor on a D. glomerata patent assigned to Gateway (US 8,623,432); published in a journal not indexed in PubMed (Kuate et al. 2013, Funct Foods Health Dis)
318 adults aged 24 to 58 with a BMI of 30 to 40 and metabolic syndrome in Yaounde, Cameroon; 297 completed.
Weight fell 11.15 kg (11.33%) versus 0.53 kg on placebo, and waist fell 10.72 versus 0.77 cm, with participants asked to keep their usual diet and activity. Total cholesterol fell 43.67%, triglycerides 69.49%, fasting glucose 27.67%, systolic pressure 24 mm Hg and CRP 17.16%. Triglycerides fell from 151.9 to 46.8 mg/dL within the first 4 weeks. Baseline HDL differed between groups (37.68 versus 27.24 mg/dL), though the authors report no baseline differences.
Randomized, double-blind, three-arm trial of 300 mg Dyglomera (a 90:10 water and ethanol extract), 300 mg IGOB131 (an Irvingia gabonensis extract) or oat bran placebo once daily before the main meal; analyzed with paired t-tests; the supplier of Dyglomera was not stated; the corresponding author was at PhytoQuest Ltd; the authors declared no conflicts; no trial registration was reported (Azantsa et al. 2015, Funct Foods Health Dis)
48 healthy adults aged 23 to 55 with a BMI of 26 to 30 in Yaounde, Cameroon; 3 dropped out.
Weight fell 8.92% on Dyglomera versus 1.74% on placebo over 8 weeks (p < 0.05), with no difference at 4 weeks. Body fat and waist also fell more. HDL rose 13.36%, and total and LDL cholesterol and triglycerides fell, though baseline LDL was higher in the Dyglomera group. No side effects were reported.
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial at Max Super Specialty Hospital, New Delhi, led by the University of Yaounde 1 group; 400 mg Dyglomera (hydroethanolic extract) or dextrin once daily; funded by Gateway Health Alliances; registered as NCT05483192 a year after it ended; the authors declared no competing interests, although the senior author is the named inventor on a Gateway-assigned D. glomerata patent (Youovop et al. 2023, Funct Foods Health Dis)
120 adults aged 19 to 65 with a BMI of 25 to 34.9; 100 completed (52 on Dyglomera, 48 on placebo).
DEXA body fat, the primary outcome, fell from 19.74% to 15.23% (a 22.85% relative fall) versus a 0.46% relative rise on placebo (p < 0.05). Weight fell 6.73 versus 0.08 kg and waist 6.06% versus 1.45%. Total cholesterol fell 16.87%, LDL 9.24% and fasting glucose 3.55%. No adverse events were observed.
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial run by Wellness Discovery Labs; 300 mg a day of DYG-400 (identified in the registry as Dyglomera, standardized to myricetin 1.6% and luteolin 1.0%, supplied by Gateway Health Alliances) or rice protein; the registry lists Gateway as funder; registered as ISRCTN10099861 after data collection ended (Hausenblas et al. 2024, J Diet Suppl)
56 adults with overweight or mild obesity, mean age 44.5 and mean BMI 31.66.
The Dyglomera group lost 4.11 lb versus 2.19 lb on placebo at day 60 (p = 0.05), the primary outcome. Food cravings, perceived stress, mood and health-related quality of life ratings improved more than on placebo; anxiety fell in both groups. The registry lists 61 people enrolled, while the paper reports 56.
Randomized, double-blind, four-arm trial of 400 mg D. glomerata extract (registry name Dyglomera; at least 25% polyphenols, supplied by Gateway Health Alliances), 300 mg Cissus quadrangularis extract, oral semaglutide or dextrin placebo; funded by the J&A Oben Foundation, where several authors work; the senior author is the named inventor on a Gateway-assigned D. glomerata patent; registered (NCT06827002) almost two years after it started (Youovop et al. 2025, Medicina (Kaunas))
248 adults in Yaounde, Cameroon, aged 25 to 59 with a BMI of 25 to 34.9; 228 completed.
After-meal GLP-1, a primary outcome, rose 38.6 pg/mL versus 4.7 pg/mL on placebo, and DPP-4 fell 15.3% versus 2.9% on placebo (p < 0.01), measured with an immunoassay kit rather than the activity assay named in the registry. Weight fell 4.3 kg versus 0.6 to 0.7 kg on placebo, and fasting glucose and triglycerides fell; LDL and HDL changes were not significant after adjustment. Mild stomach discomfort occurred in under 3% of the extract groups. The tables list satiety scores above the 0 to 10 scale maximum and baseline LDL plus HDL above total cholesterol in every group.