Is Garcinia Cambogia So Good How It Is Praised in Scientific Research - Literature review Example

Product Assessment: Garcinia Cambogia Extract Weight Loss Dietary Supplement The Garcinia Cambogia has been widely touted as miracle weight loss supplement and is now being used by increasing numbers of people seeking to try and lose their weight. In its support, its proponents argue that there have been no cases of chronic or acute toxicity that have ever been reported as having developed due to the regular consumption of garcinia products. These products have for centuries been widely used along most of the South Asian coastal areas and they still continue to be consumed in large amounts. In addition to this, they also point out that there exists some preliminary evidence that is seen to promote the use of garcinia in enhancing weight loss and exercise performance although the currently available evidence is mixed. Critics of the use of garcinia cambogia as a weight loss supplement argue that the high cost of the supplement is not commensurate with its results and it would be better for individuals seeking to lose weight to invest in proven techniques such as exercise to help them in losing weight. This paper will seek to prove that although the garcinia cambogia is able to generate weight loss on the short term, the long term effects are negligible. Introduction Garcinia (Garcinia Cambogia) is a rather diminutive purple fruit that is native to the regions around Southeast Asia and India. In recent times, the fruit has gained massive popularity as a weight loss aid although the evidence conducted to establish this aspect has largely been inconclusive. The fruit’s rind is rich in hydroxycitric acid (HCA) and this caused it for centuries to be used as a flavoring agent, food preservative and an effective carminative in the expulsion of gas from the intestines or stomach. Indian folk tradition has promoted the Garcinia Cambogia as a cure for conditions such as bowel complaints and rheumatism. According to Amazon.com (2014), the current number 1 selling garcinia cambogia product is being produced and marketed by Quality Encaspulations with each container containing 180 capsules. Individuals taking the dietary supplement are required to take a daily serving size of two 300 to 500mg capsules. The product is marketed as Pure Garcinia Cambogia Extract with HCA. The appropriate dosage of garcinia is seen to depend on a number of factors such as the age of the user and the individual’s health. Although there is currently no scientific information available that can help in the determination of the appropriate range of dosages for garcinia, the standard dosage that is prescribed on its label is a serving of 2 capsules per day. The products ingredients are mainly calcium which makes up about 50mg per serving of 2 capsules, Potassium which also makes up another 50mg, Chromium which makes up about 200mcg. The rest of the product is composed of pure Garcinia Cambogia extract. Of note also is that the dietary supplement contains zero binders, zero fillers as well as zero artificial ingredients. In a systematic review conducted by Igho et al (2010) in a bid to try and examine the efficacy of the Garcinia extract, hydroxycitric acid (HCA) as a weight reduction agent, the researcher pointed out that the prevalence of obesity and overweight has experienced a significant increase over the last decade and most of the current available measures have been unable to successfully stem this tide. To this end, the Garcinia extract that is marketed by Quality Encaspulations is primarily targeted at this market where it is marketed as a slimming aid dietary supplement. On its label, the product only makes two function claims mainly pertaining to satiety and weight-loss; It’s satiety attribute encourages that the product be consumed as a dietary supplement by adults who should take only 1 capsule about 1 hour before ingesting any food. This should be done twice daily or as has been directed by the physician. The second function claim pertaining to weight-loss can be inferred from the fact that adults are encouraged to consume 3 capsules an hour before food twice daily so as to help them in losing weight. This dosage can however be adjusted by the doctor. In their journal article, Igho et al. (2010) analyze the validity of the claims made by the garcinia cambogia product as marketed by Quality Encaspulations. In their claims Quality Encaspulations argue that the product can help in not only controlling satiability, but also in promoting weight loss among its target audience of over-weight and obese persons. In the analysis, Igho et al. (2010), highlight the fact that some authors have been noted to suggest that HCA is able to cause weight loss due to its competitively inhibiting the enzyme adenosine triphosphatase-citrate-lyase. Other researchers argue that HCA works by increasing the availability and release of serotonin in the brain a reaction that results in appetite suppression. In their article Igho et al. (2010) point out that the results of a research study conducted to establish the effectiveness of HCA/garcinia found that these extracts tend to generate weight-loss o the short term. However, the overall magnitude of this effect was found to be too small and not statistically significant. The results of this study appear to be similar to those achieved by Pittler & Ernst (2004), which sought to assess the evidence derived from a series of vigorous clinical trials, meta-analyses and systematic reviews on the effectiveness of a number of dietary supplements in the reduction of body weight. One of the supplements examined in this study was the garcinia cambogia. From conducting 25 trials as well as five systematic reviews and meta-analyses, the data obtained by Pittler & Ernst (2004) suggested the absence of a significantly greater weight loss among the participants in the treatment group as compared to the placebo group. The overall results of the study further emphasize on the non-effectiveness of the garcinia cambogia by stressing that non of the supplements tested in the study including the garcinia supplement were able to present irrefutable evidence of their effectiveness in the reduction of body weight. The results of the studies conducted by Igho et al. (2010) and Pittler & Ernst (2004), were reflected in the studies conducted by Kim et al. (2011) that emphatically showed that garcinia cambogia failed to promote any clinically significant levels of weight-loss. The product was also shown to have a minimal effect on the percentage of body fat in overweight individuals who continued with the consumption of their habitual diets. In a study whose findings support the observations made by the Kim et al. (2011), Hayamizu et al. (2003), established that although there was some slight short-term reduction in BMI and body weight in the male garcinia cambogia group as compared to the placebo group, the results derived from the female subjects showed that there were no significant differences in the female garcinia cambogia and placebo groups. There are no recorded cases of the garcinia cambogia having any negative effect on the health of its users an none of the ingredients that have been used to make the supplement is listed as being part of the dirty dozen list of 12 risky supplements as citied by nbcnews (2010). There are other brands of the supplement that are being produced by other companies and one supplement with similar ingredients, claims and target audience is the Natrol garcinia cambogia extract Appetite Intercept. This supplement product has similar ingredients to the garcinia cambogia product highlighted in this paper that is being produced by Quality Encaspulations. The suggested usage of two capsules at is also quite similar to Quality Encaspulations garcinia cambogia, although there exists a stark difference in the number of times that one is supposed to consume this dietary supplement. Whereas Quality Encaspulations garcinia cambogia supplement is taken twice daily, the nutrol garcinia cambogia is taken three times daily. Conclusion The garcinia cambogia has been noted to have numerous positive health benefits and is one of the few all natural weight-loss products that has not been linked to any cases of having an adverse effect on the health of its users. Recent studies have shown that the product tends to have varying effects between its male and female users with the male users recording better weight-loss results from its usage. From the review of the various research studies that have been highlighted in this paper, it can conclusively be shown that although the garcinia cambogia is able to generate weight loss on the short term, the long term effects are negligible. References Amazon.com. (2014). Consumer Reports' 'Dirty Dozen': 12 Risky Supplements 100% Pure Garcinia Cambogia Extract with HCA. Retrieved on 28 August, 2014 from http://www.amazon.com/Garcinia-Cambogia-Strength-Clinically -Pharmaceutical/dp/B00FV58KB0/ref=zg_bs_3764441_2 Hayamizu, K., Ishii, Y., Kaneko, I., Shen, M., Okuhara, Y., Shigematsu, N., ... & Shimasaki, H. (2003). Effects of< i> garcinia cambogia(Hydroxycitric Acid) on visceral fat accumulation: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Current Therapeutic Research, 64(8), 551-567. Retrieved on August 27, 2014 from https://www.garciniacambogiaultra.com/research_01.pdf http://abcnews.go.com/Health/AlternativeMedicineSupplements/consumer-reports-dirty -dozen-12-risky-supplements/story?id=11309450 Igho, O., Kang, H. S., Rachel, P., Barbara, W., & Edzard, E. (2010). The use of Garcinia extract (hydroxycitric acid) as a weight loss supplement: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised clinical trials. Journal of obesity, 2011. Retrieved on August 28, 2014 from http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jobe/2011/509038/ Kim, J. E., Jeon, S. M., Park, K. H., Lee, W. S., Jeong, T. S., McGregor, R. A., & Choi, M. S. (2011). Does Glycine max leaves or Garcinia Cambogia promote weight-loss or lower plasma cholesterol in overweight individuals: a randomized control trial. Nutrition journal, 10(1), 94. Retrieved on August 27, 2014 from http://www.nutritionj.com/content/10/1/94 Nbcnews (2010). Consumer Reports' 'Dirty Dozen': 12 Risky Supplements. Retrieved on August 28, 2014 from Pittler, M. H., & Ernst, E. (2004). Dietary supplements for body-weight reduction: a systematic review. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 79(4), 529-536. Retrieved on August 27, 2014 from http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/79/4/529.full#cited-by Read More