Garcinia Cambogia: Weight-Loss Magic Bullet?

It seems like about every six months or so, another herbal weight loss supplement is touted as the ultimate solution for weight loss. Garcinia cambogia is one of the latest, and the list of benefits attributed to it is truly mind-boggling. It almost seems as if the more complex and exotic-sounding the name of a supplement is, the more beneficial attributes are ascribed to it.

However, just like many of the previous herbal supplements, the benefits of garcinia cambogia are up for serious debate, and clinical trials have not supported some of the most promising-sounding claims.

Part of the problem is that, since herbal supplements like garcinia cambogia are regarded Garcinia Cambogia plant as food products, not drugs, by the federal government, strict testing is not required before they hit the market. Just like snake oil salesmen of the last century, herbal supplement peddlers are by and large free to claim that their products cure everything from cancer to smelly feet. Of course, eventually the truth comes out, but by then the marketers have made their money and disappeared into the mist, only to reemerge under another business name when the next "miracle" supplement comes down the line.

The active component of garcinia cambogia is hydroxycitric acid, or HCA. Its benefits are claimed to be appetite suppression, lipid control, lowering of cholesterol and inhibiting the conversion of excess calories into body fat. By anyone's definition, that's a pretty tall order for any supplement to actually live up to.

Do a little Internet research, though, and you'll quickly realize that the people making these claims also, by and large, just so happen to be the ones selling garcinia cambogia in various forms. That's somewhat akin to asking a mother if she thinks her child is cute.

A study conducted by Dr. Ray Sahelian looked at the claims made about garcinia cambogia and came up with some interesting results:

Appetite suppression: In a double-blind study, groups of moderately overweight women were given garcinia cambogia or a placebo. There was no difference whatsoever in the appetites of the two groups at the end of the study period.
Lipid control: In tests on mice, garcinia cambogia showed no effect on body weight, fat pad weight or serum glucose level.
Weight loss: In a test involving 135 subjects, divided between those receiving garcinia cambogia and those receiving a placebo, there was no difference in the weight loss experienced by the two groups.

So, it would appear the search for the magic bullet continues. However, if you have faith that garcinia cambogia will work for you, by all means try it. The mind can convince the body of some amazing things, and that could be the true magic bullet.

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