Will Garcinia Cambogia Really Help You Lose Weight?

I have, in the past, written about whether or not various “miracle” substances work when it comes to losing weight – case in point, raspberry ketones and green coffee bean extract. This research made me decide to check out one of the other, so-called, miracle weight loss supplements – Garcinia Cambogia.

Having now waded through the results of around twenty different studies, I have come to the conclusion that it is a legitimate supplement for those who are fairly overweight, have a diet high in carbs and who are not successful at cutting down food intake. This means more than just a little bit of flab – if you only need to lose a few pounds, this is not worth it for the weight loss effect.

What Is Garcinia Cambogia And What Good Is It?

This is a fruit of Asian descent but it is also grown in areas that have similar climates around the world – such as Africa, Australia, etc. The fruit itself is usually included in curries but in the States it is known as a fat loss supplement only.

The fruit has high concentrations of Hydroxycitric Acid and this actually acts and inhibits Citrase Lyase, an enzyme. This enzyme is responsible for the reaction that causes your body to convert Citrate into Acetyl CoA and this is what your body uses to create fat. This would seem to indicate that it will therefore prevent the production of new fat and your body will hopefully start burning its stores instead.

This seems to make a certain amount of sense but it really is an oversimplification again. Your body will adjust over time so this effect is, at best, temporary.

The Pros And Cons

This is what you really should know:

The Pros:

• It helps to dampen the effect of the Citrate Lyase and this is the enzyme proven to kick off the formation of fatty acids.
• Because of this, you are bound to see some improvement in terms of the way cholesterol and glucose is managed by the body.
• In rodent studies, there is some well-conducted research that points to it helping to prevent the accumulation of fat.
• There do not appear to be negative side effects and it is generally considered safe at normal doses.

The Cons:

• Human trials are inconclusive when it comes to actual weight loss benefits. In fact, the researchers have had mixed results.
• Over time it would appear that it becomes less effective.
• Because of the way it works, it really will only help those that eat a lot of carbs.
• It is unlikely to prove effective for those who are moderately fit and its usefulness drops significantly when an effective eating plan is put into place.

It Is Not The Only Action To Worry About

The main issue when it comes to this kind of supplement is that it works on a very small part of a very complex system. Whilst there may be some results to be seen when this whole system is out of whack – like in someone who is battling with their weight, once the situation starts to normalize again, the body will once again begin adjusting and the effects of the supplement will become less and less noticeable.

It is important to realize that nothing in the body works in a vacuum and that the body wants to get its processes back into order. Whilst you may feel that it is doing good to stop the Citrate Lyase dead in its tracks, the body is not going to feel the same way and will strive to make up for this through other processes. When one avenue is blocked, it finds a way around it and fat production will start up again.

In Conclusion

At worst, this is probably just a harmless supplement. It may help those that are fairly overweight and who eat a lot of carbs but is probably no use to the rest. You would get better results by just cutting out the carbs.