Benefits of Garcinia Cambogia

What is Garcinia Cambogia?

Garcinia cambogia is a popular weight loss supplement. It is derived from a fruit of the same name, also called Garcinia gummi-gutta or Malabar tamarind. The peel of the fruit contains high amounts of hydroxy citric acid (HCA), which is the active ingredient believed to be responsible for most of its weight loss benefits

How Does It Aid Weight Loss?

There are two main ways that garcinia cambogia is thought to aid weight loss.

1. May Reduce Your Appetite

Studies in rats show that those given garcinia cambogia supplements tend to eat less (17, 18).

Similarly, some human studies have found that garcinia cambogia suppresses appetite and makes you feel full

Its mechanism isn’t fully known, but rat studies suggest that the active ingredient in garcinia cambogia can increase serotonin in the brain

Since serotonin is a known appetite suppressant, higher blood levels of serotonin could reduce your appetite

However, these results need to be taken with a grain of salt. Other studies have observed no difference in appetite between those taking this supplement and those taking a placebo

These effects may depend on each individual.

2. May Block Fat Production and Reduce Belly Fat

Most importantly, garcinia cambogia impacts blood fats and the production of new fatty acids.

Human and animal studies show that it may lower high levels of fat in your blood and reduce oxidative stress in your body

One study also suggests it may be especially effective at reducing the accumulation of belly fat in people who are overweight

In one study, moderately obese people took 2,800 mg of garcinia cambogia daily for eight weeks and drastically improved several risk factors for disease :

Total cholesterol levels: 6.3% lower
“Bad” LDL cholesterol levels: 12.3% lower
“Good” HDL cholesterol levels: 10.7% higher
Blood triglycerides: 8.6% lower
Fat metabolites: 125–258% more excreted in the urine

The main reason for these effects may be that garcinia cambogia inhibits an enzyme called citrate lyase, which plays an important role in the production of fat

By inhibiting citrate lyase, garcinia cambogia is thought to slow or block fat production in your body. This may reduce blood fats and lower your risk of weight gain — two major disease risk factors .

Other Health Benefits

Garcinia cambogia may have some anti-diabetes effects. It may also help protect against stomach ulcers and digestive tract damage.

Does diet matter?

Garcinia cambogia extract may reduce weight gain alongside a high fat diet.

Researchers looked at how a person’s diet affected the supplement, noting that it was not as effective in people whose diets were low in fat and high in carbohydrate.

Another study Source, posted to the Journal of Clinical Diagnostic Research found that taking garcinia cambogia extract along with a high-fat diet did reduce weight gain.

However, a high-fiber diet may also reduce how well HCA works in the body.

This research suggests that the garcinia and HCA depend upon a proper diet to be effective, which is the opposite of how it is marketed by manufacturers.