Does Garcinia Cambogia Extract Really Assist with Weight-Loss?

(NaturalNews) With celeb Dr. Oz advocating its use, Garcinia Cambogia (also known as Malabar tamarind, gambooge and brindle berry), has increased notoriety as a fast-acting and low-cost fat buster that both suppresses hunger and helps prevent fat from being created. For generations, this particular fruit present in India, Southeast Asia and Africa has been used in traditional Indian cooking to make food more filling and in Ayurvedic medicine as a digestive system aid. For the American market, its extract Hydroxycitric acid (HCA) has been targeted for its weight-loss abilities.

How it works

When carbohydrate food enters the human body, enzymes also convert them into energy or even hold them as body fat. HCA is thought to inhibit these enzymes from keeping carbs as fat, permitting them to be burned off. In addition to assisting burn off calories from fat, the dietary supplement also has the 2nd weight-loss benefit of controlling hunger.

How effective is Garcinia Cambogia?

In accordance with Julie Chen, MD, integrative medicine, taking the dietary supplement on its own can cut about 4 pounds a month, but getting it along with exercise and dieting can double or even three times that figure. Studies have discovered it's particularly effective for emotional eaters since its usage has been connected with an increase in serotonin, resulting in increased sleep as well as mood.

An all-natural weight loss pill which burns off many fat, cheaply and quickly, and enhances mood as well as increases sleep - it sounds like a wonder pill. But when looking through the research, the entire results are joined. "Supporting evidence for its efficacy is largely based on research with small sample sizes, without having placebo-treated groups or even with inaccurate measures of entire body lipid modifications," as written in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). "A 12-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled trial was conducted in 42 topics which got 3,000 mg of Garcinia Cambogia extract per day. Garcinia Cambogia extract did not make significant weight-loss and fat mass loss beyond that noticed with placebo."

Vladimir Badmaev, MD, PHD, et al. Responded to the aforementioned report in the JAMA, pointing out a limitation in the way the research was conducted, writing which HCA needs to be administered with a carb-rich diet, but in the research they co-administered it with a high fiber diet.

As often happens with drugs and nutritional supplements, there is 2 edges divided - some research tell it works, some tell you it doesn't.

Garcinia Cambogia side effects and dosage

Garcinia cambogia is normally regarded as risk-free if used short-term. Long-term usage is unknown. Unwanted effects such as headaches, nausea and digestive system pain have been reported. Certain weight loss supplements which contain HCA extract could be problematic, as one well-known brand was recalled in 2009 after the FDA issued a security caution following 23 reports of liver problems, seizures and cardiovascular issues, including one death.

Some should not take this dietary supplement, including people with diabetes, Alzheimer's, dementia as well as pregnant and lactating women. As always, if a dietary supplement is not considered safe for women that are pregnant, it's worth thinking 2 times about the reason why. And whether you're concerned about unwanted effects or not, doing that extra studies well worth it when it comes to a controversial dietary supplement such as this.