Garcinia Cambogia And Its Effects On Weight Loss
Garcinia cambogia that has a scientific name of Garcinia gummi gutla is a tropical fruit from Indonesia. The shape of the fruit is similar to that of a pumpkin and it’s as small as a tomato with a yellow or greenish in color. Its taste is very sour, so it is not advisable to eat the fruit raw and usually the fruit is used for cooking.
Garcinia supplements that you see in local markets are made primarily from the peel of the fruit. It is believed that the peel contains hydroxycitric acid (HCA). Supplements generally contain 20-60% HCA and studies reveal 50-60% of HCA provides the most benefits. In human studies, HCA may be used as an aid to weight loss, but is this true? Let’s find out.
Hydroxycitric acid (HCA) helps weight loss in 2 ways:
1. There is a loss in appetite
Backed up by studies, intake of Garcinia may make you feel a loss in appetite and a feeling of fullness. In studies conducted in rats, this was due to an increase in the presence of serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is best known for suppressing appetite.
2. May block fat production
It was found out the HCA effectively reduces fat accumulation in the body. It is responsible for inhibiting an enzyme that causes production of body fat, lowering the risk of gaining weight. This may contribute to improving the risk factors in obese patients which are increased HDL cholesterol and decreased total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglyceride.
But based on the Journal of Obesity where a review was done after compiling the results of 9 different studies about garcinia being used by humans confirmed that its effects vary. There were some studies claimed its significance while other studies reveal insignificant results.
Bottom line:
Studies in humans are only done in a limited number of people and a short amount of time. Hence a more comprehensive study is suggested to understand its safety and effectiveness of garcinia to weight loss.
Garcinia supplements can be purchased here