In 2004, the authors of a systematic review focused on natural products used to promote weight loss. According to them, the data extracted from Garcinia were promising, but still needed to confirm 2 . They analyzed the results of four double-blind trials conducted on 324 subjects with overweight. Participants received for 8 or 12 weeks, 1.3 g to 3 g of extract of HCA or a placebo.Three of these trials have yielded positive results, but those of a study published in 1998 (135 subjects) were inconclusive 3 . This study has been criticized because the participants were consuming a diet rich in fiber, which can prevent gastrointestinal absorption of HCA and thus cancel its beneficial effect 1 (see the opinion of our pharmacist about ).
Since then, the number of clinical trials listed in Medline increased to 12 (February 2009). It shows a mixed picture of AHC extracted preparations of Garcinia . The results of eight trials 4-11 involving more than 400 subjects show a favorable trend in weight loss or reduction of body fat. However, four trials from 3.12 to 14 , conducted with 200 subjects, gave inconclusive results. The low power and quality of most of the studies, as well as the frequent presence of other plants or substances do not assign with certainty the slimming effects garcinia.
The role of Pure Garcinia cambogia in weight management
The mechanism of action of hydroxycitric acid (HCA), the active ingredient contained extracts of Garcinia cambogia , is enticing. According to animal data, the AHC has the capacity to prevent the fat cells to store fat from sugars from the diet. Sugars and starches are stored in the body as fat by an enzyme called ATP citrate lyase. HCA inhibits this enzyme. This inhibitory effect, tested in animals is controversial in humans. Indeed, in the latter, the mechanism of fat storage is more complex, because it does not depend exclusively on carbohydrates.
The results of studies on Garcinia are contradictory. These differences may result from the way some attempts have been made. For example, if the mechanism of action of Garcinia is to inhibit the storage of sugar as fat, limiting carbohydrate intake participants could distort the results. The amount of fiber consumed may also affect the absorption of Garcinia. Anyway, all this is not yet well validated in humans.
Finally, it is important to consider the minimum effective dose of a product. In the case of Garcinia, manufacturers of extracts standardized to 50% HCA recommended to take 500 mg three times a day. Unfortunately, many supplements on the market contain only a tiny fraction of this assay. It is therefore legitimate to doubt their effectiveness ...