Does Garcinia cambogia really work on belly fat? It’s rather interesting….

What Is It?

 Garcinia cambogia (or more accurately Garcinia gummi-gutta) is a pumpkin-shaped fruit characterized for its signature sour flavor. Like Caralluma fimbriata, cambogia originates from South and Southeast Asia and is used for enhancing delicacies.

  How (It’s Supposed) To Work

 Garcinia cambogia contains a citric acid doppelganger known as Hydroxycitric acid (HCA). There are four variations of HCA in the fruit:

• (+)-Hydroxycitric acid
• (-)-Hydroxycitric acid
• (-)-Allo-HCA
• (+)-Allo-HCA

The fruit’s fat-burning reputation is contributed to (-)-Hydroxycitric acid for inhibiting ATP Citrate Lysase. ATP Citrate Lysase is an enzyme necessary for de novo lipogenesis: the converting of carbohydrates into fat.  By interfering with the molecular catalyst, (-)-Hydroxycitric acid reduces the accumulation of body fat.

Science Says……

There is strong evidence for cambogia’s claims of fat loss in rodent experiments, with several demonstrating its ability to slow the rate of fat gain and to suppress appetite. The results from human trials however suggest that the fruit is an inconsistent supplement for reducing body fat. While several studies report fat loss (one detailed fat loss as high as 3.7kg in 12 weeks), others report no differences between participants receiving cambogia or a placebo (Read Here, Read Here, Read Here). There is also no evidence of a satiety effect caused by the pumpkin shaped fruit (Read Here).

It seems that whereas de novo lipogenesis is an influential process in rodent species, it does not have the same impact on human beings. Thus cambogia has a less potency effect.   

It should be noted that all of the studies examining Garcinia Cambogia’s fat melting properties have used obese/overweight individuals and therefore it is difficult to generalize its abilities on otherwise healthy persons. Additionally, there has only been one study that observed the fruit’s influence with the inclusion of exercise (Read Here). It concluded that supplementation of cambogia derived (-)-Hydroxycitric acid “increases the fat oxidation capacity and spares carbohydrate use during the same-intensity exercise”. Once again, the subjects were obese and did not exercise regularly. An athletic individual will have to take these results with a grain of salt if they believe cambogia is the key to reaching single digit body fat levels.  

Anything Else

Hepatotoxicity is severe liver damage caused by external agent; usually a chemical. There have been several reports of hepatotoxicity linked to the popular fat loss supplement Hydroxycut©, which touts Garcinia cambogia as one its primary ingredients. However, a direct association with the fruit and liver damage has yet to be proven (Read Here). 

Our Recommendation

 Overall, Garcinia Cambogia is an unremarkable option for a fat burner. Despite some positive evidence from human trials, its effects are inconsistent. Considering that 99% of the human subjects used for the studies were obese, it would be useful to determine if more even findings emerge from fairly healthy persons.

Dosage

Daily:  3x 500mg