Garcinia Cambogia –Does It Work?

There is an enzyme in the skin of the fruit which is hydroxy-citric acid (HCA)
Reading through all the hype about this miracle fruit it is hard to resist getting on the weight loss train and buying the first local supplement that I can find. But I am forever a sceptic and I have wasted plenty of money over the years on fad “health” products.
So I dug around a bit and went past the reviews, delving deeper into the peer reviewed scientific studies. Guess what?
Most of the studies shown on rats tell us that the rats have lost weight and their appetite has lessened. “Hooray”, I hear echoes across the universe – but no!
There have now been several scientific studies on Humans and the results are not so promising.
Garcinia cambogia may have other of health benefits but using it to become slimmer is not one of them.

Also known as garcinia gummi-gutta, the fruit is used across Asia and India as a medicinal fruit, a main ingredient in sour dishes and to cure fish.
A look at the review statistics from 850 users on Web Med tells us that they were only 2 out of 5 satisfied with the supplement and that it only had 2 out of 5 effectiveness.
Some of the commentary and reviews were very positive but one has to consider that there are a certain amount of writers paid to write positive reviews.
On the whole – I would say that if you have money to burn it would be better to go and buy yourself a lot of healthy vegetables that you can eat raw or with little cooking. You will have a far greater chance of losing weight.
Conclusion – it appears that unless you are a rat – garcinia cambogia will not work for you as a weight loss agent.

“Meals that heal – Soul curry”. The Hindu. Retrieved 3 October 201
Heymsfield, S. B.; Allison, D. B.; Vasselli, J. R.; Pietrobelli, A.; Greenfield, D.; Nunez, C. (1998). “Garcinia cambogia (Hydroxycitric Acid) as a Potential Antiobesity Agent: A Randomized Controlled Trial”. JAMA: the Journal of the American Medical Association 280 (18): 1596–1600. doi:10.1001/jama.280.18.1596. PMID 9820262.
Vasques, C. A.; Schneider, R; Klein-Júnior, L. C.; Falavigna, A; Piazza, I; Rossetto, S (2013). “Hypolipemic Effect of Garcinia cambogia in Obese Women”. Phytotherapy Research: n/a. doi:10.1002/ptr.5076. PMID 24133059.
November 11, 1998, Vol 280, No. 18 > http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=188147 viewed 20 May 2014.