Garcinia Cambogia Review: Does it Work For Weight Loss?
Learn this review of pure garcinia cambogia. Weight loss effects, health benefits, side effects and an in-depth look at the science.
What is Garcinia Cambogia?
Garcinia cambogia is a plant, also known as Garcinia gummi-gutta.
The fruit of garcinia cambogia plant looks like a small, green pumpkin and is used in many traditional Asian dishes for its sour flavor.
In the skin of the fruit, there is a large amount of a natural substance called Hydroxycitric Acid (HCA).
This is the active ingredient in Garcinia Cambogia extract… that is, the substance that produces the weight loss effects.
Bottom Line: Garcinia Cambogia is a plant often used in Asian recipes. The skin of the fruit contains a substance called Hydroxycitric Acid (HCA), which is the active ingredient.
Does Garcinia Cambogia Actually Work?
I managed to find several research studies on Garcinia Cambogia, in both animals and humans.
According to some studies in rats, it can inhibit a fat producing enzyme called Citrate Lyase, making it more difficult for the body to produce fat out of carbohydrates (1).
Other rat studies show increased levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin. This could theoretically lead to reduced appetite and cravings (2).
There are actually a whole bunch of studies in rats showing that Garcinia Cambogia consistently leads to significant weight loss (3, 4, 5, 6).
However, what works in rats doesn’t always work in humans.
Bottom Line: Studies in rats show that the active ingredient in Garcinia Cambogia can inhibit a fat producing enzyme called Citrate Lyase and increase serotonin levels, leading to significant weight loss.
A Look at Some Human Studies
Fortunately, I also found several human studies on Garcinia Cambogia.
All of these studies are so-called randomized controlled trials, which are the gold standard of scientific experiments in humans.
The biggest of the studies included 135 overweight individuals, which were split into two groups (7):
· Treatment group: 1 gram of Garcinia Cambogia Extract, 3 times per day, taken 30 minutes before meals.
· Placebo group: The other group took dummy pills (placebo).
Both groups also went on a high-fiber, low calorie diet.
These were the results of the 12 week study, which was published in The Journal of The American Medical Association (a highly respected scientific journal):
As you can see, both groups lost weight.
But the group taking Garcinia Cambogia extract actually lost less weight (3.2 kg – 7 pounds) than the placebo group (4.1 kg – 9 pounds).
The researchers also looked at body fat percentage. The placebo group lost 2.16%, while the group taking Garcinia Cambogia lost only 1.6%.
However, the difference was not statistically significant, meaning that the results could have been due to chance.
More Studies
In another study with 89 overweight females, Garcinia Cambogia did lead to 1.3 kg (2.8 pounds) more weight loss compared to placebo, over a period of 12 weeks. They found no difference in appetite between groups (8).
Overall, I looked at 4 more studies. Two of them showed weight loss of a few pounds over a period of 8 weeks (9, 10), but the other two showed no effect (11, 12).
So… unfortunately, the weight loss effects appear to be both weak and inconsistent.
A review published in the Journal of Obesity in 2011 that looked at 12 clinical trials found that Garcinia Cambogia can increase weight loss by about 0.88 kg, or 2 pounds, on average, over a period of several weeks (13).
Their conclusion sums it up quite nicely:
“…Garcinia extracts/HCA can cause short-term weight loss. The magnitude of the effect is small, and the clinical relevance is uncertain.”
I agree. It may cause a mild effect in some people, but overall the effects are small and unlikely to make a major difference
Bottom Line: There have been many studies conducted on Garcinia Cambogia in overweight individuals. Some of them show a small amount of weight loss, while other studies show no effect.
Garcinia Cambogia Appears to be Very Safe
It is important to keep in mind that these studies usually only report averages.
It is possible that some individuals can in fact lose weight with this supplement, although it doesn’t seem to work very well on average.
At least, Garcinia Cambogia extract pills appears to be safe. There are no serious side effects, only some reports of mild digestive issues (14).
It is best to get a brand with at least 50% Hydroxycitric acid. The most common dosage is 500 mg, 3 times per day, half an hour before meals.
Let's explore the research:
- 1998 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association: After a 12-week randomized, double-blind study of overweight men and women, researchers concluded that garcinia cambogia did not produce significant weight or fat loss above the placebo.
- 2013 review in the journal Complementary Theories in Medicine: Researchers evaluated clinical trials that used plant extracts as potential treatment for obesity, and found that the evidence was not convincing in most cases. One exception was a combination of garcinia cambogia taken with another herb called gymnema sylvestre, which showed a slight increase in weight loss results. It's a glimmer of hope, but surely, more research needs to be done on the subject.
- 2005 study in the journal Food and Chemical Toxicology: Researchers tested a high dose of garcinia cambogia extract on obese male rats. The good news? The rats lost weight! The bad news? Extremely high doses seemed to cause testicular atrophy and toxicity. Yikes!
If you do decide to hop on the latest bandwagon, whether it is garcinia cambogia or some other plant-based extract, proceed with caution. If you're talking any prescription medications, talk to your doctor before adding any herbal supplement. There may be dangerous interactions. And as researchers saw in the 2005 study on rats, there may be consequences to taking large doses.
Until we have more research to draw from, we can't know what is truly safe. (15)
If you want to buy garcinia cambogia despite the poor results in the studies, then there is a great selection of brands with thousands of customer reviews on Amazon.
If Garcinia Cambogia Doesn’t Work, Then What Does?
I’ve been experimenting with and researching supplements for years, but I have yet to find a weight loss supplement that actually works.
There are a few that appear to be mildly effective. This includes Caffeine, Green Tea and Glucomannan (a fiber that can reduce appetite). However, the results are usually weak and inconsistent and certainly nothing to get excited about.
At the end of the day, the only thing that is really proven to help you lose weight is changing your diet. Exercise can help too, but what you eat is by far the most important.
COMMENTS