Does Garcinia Cambogia Help with Weight Loss?

Garcinia cambogia is a plant that’s native to Indonesia. The plant’s rind contains a substance called hydroxycitric acid, which is the ingredient that’s sold in supplement form, popularly as a weight loss aid. Does it work? Read on to learn more about the plant and its properties.

The Plant and the Studies
Garcinia cambogia is a small plant, having a green rind and a sour flavor to it. It’s used in a variety of dishes in Asia. The hydroxycitric acid found in the rind is extracted and, according to the companies that sell it and the media figures that have promoted it, it can help with weigh loss. In fact, some of those media figures, notably Dr. Oz, a television personality, have promoted it rather enthusiastically, calling it a breakthrough that can help people who have had little success losing weight to shed extra pounds.

There have been scientific studies done on this plant, the extracts that are sold as supplements and whether or not they promote weight loss. The results have been mixed.

According to information published by the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, it was reported that several studies that involved the administration of extracts derived from garcinia cambogia have shown losses in both weight and fat, but randomized, placebo-controlled studies have not shown the same results.

The studies in humans to date have involved small numbers of participants and have been short-term, so there is very little data on whether or not the effects on weight loss are long lasting, with none of the studies having gone beyond 12 weeks. According to the article, there is little evidence to support the weight loss benefits of garcinia cambogia.

The studies that have shown positive results have mostly been in rats and they have shown some significant results. The results showed that the rats that were administered garcinia cambogia extracts had higher levels of serotonin and that their bodies didn’t convert fat from carbohydrates at normal levels.

Final Analysis
There has been little study done on garcinia cambogia, and whether it promotes weight loss in humans as of yet. Human studies have been a mixed bag, but there is still a need for studies over the long term to see if the benefits exist and how significant they are. Nonetheless, the results of some of the studies are promising and, if you’re interested in losing weight, you may want to try one of these supplements and see how it ends up working for you.

Resources
http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/garcinia-cambogia-newest-fastest-fat-buster-pt-1
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22530711
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S027869150400331X
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11110858