Celebrities including Oprah Winfrey, Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears and Kim Kardashian are among the many who have claimed Garcinia Cambogia helped them lose body fat.
In October 2012, it featured on the Dr. Oz Show when Dr. Mehmet Oz proclaimed it to be an exciting breakthrough in natural weight loss.
It’s now gaining momentum as a weight loss supplement – but does it really work? We take a look at Garcinia Cambogia and the science behind it as a weight management solution.
What is Garcinia Cambogia?
Garcinia Cambogia is a fruit native to Indonesia that looks like a small green/yellow pumpkin and grows to around the size of a grapefruit.
It contains a compound called Hydroxycitric Acid (HCA) – a derivative of citric acid found in a number of tropical plants – and this is reportedly the key ingredient which helps support digestive function, manage cravings, support healthy fat metabolism and manage healthy cholesterol levels.
The science behind it
A study of 135 people conducted in 1998 found that although both test subjects and placebo subjects lost weight during a 12-week trial (which also involved modifying their eating habits to a high-fiber, low-energy diet), Garcinia Cambogia did not significantly help people lose weight any more than a placebo.
However, a recent overview put together in 2013 acknowledges that many diet supplements containing Garcinia Cambogia are a combination of active ingredients which makes it difficult to determine which ingredients may be working and which aren’t. Their final word is that the supplements’ efficacy when it comes to weight loss ‘remains to be proven in larger-scale and longer-term clinical trials, despite substantial public interest in such supplements’.
Our advice
Although science is always finding new information to back such claims, there is currently no clinical evidence to back Garcinia Cambogia as a weight loss aid.
If you choose to use supplements, use them in conjunction with a well balanced diet and a consistent regular exercise regime.
1. Slimfast Garcinia Cambogia 3,000mg (60 vegecaps RRP $36.90)
2. GO Healthy – GO Slim Ultra (60 vegecaps RRP$79.90; 30 vegecaps RRP $48.90)
3. Source Naturals Garcinia 1000 (42 tablets RRP $30.90; 90 tablets RRP $59.30)
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