A lot of buzz has been happening in North America over the fruit known as tamarind. It is being called by its Latin herbal name in health food stores across Canada and the United States as Garcinia Cambogia and originates in India, Southeast Asia and Central Africa. Though it has been used traditionally in cooking for years, its main purpose has been to block appetite and is usually consumed in the form of a pre-meal soup.
Natural extracts of garcinia in health food stores come from the rind of the fruit and contain a significant amount of hydroxycitric acid. HCA works to help people with fat loss via two main mechanisms of action : blocking fat and suppressing appetite. The latter is achieved by increasing serotonin levels which low levels of have been show to increase emotional eating, depression and anxiety. To block fat, HCA inhibits a key enzyme called citrate lyase, that your body needs to make fat from carbohydrate consumption. When this is inhibited, not only is fat storage slowed, but triglycerides and bad cholesterol levels have been clinically shown to decrease as well.
One randomized placebo-controlled study followed 60 obese persons for 8 weeks. With a calorie-restricted diet (1200 kcal/day) and an HCA dose of 1320 mg/day, the experimental group lost an average of 14 pounds (compared to 6.1 pounds in the placebo group). The participants also noted reduced appetite.
The recent popularity of the Garcinia Cambogia Extract supplement can be ascribed to Dr. Julie Chen, a well-known and well-respected specialist dealing in health and wellness. Dr. Chen’s work with the Garcinia Cambogia Extract caught Dr. Oz’s eye, specifically the findings on how safe Garcinia Cambogia Extract is.
Dr. Chen’s studies proved that those taking Garcinia Cambogia Extract lost two to three times more weight than those not taking the supplement. This equates to an average of ten pounds per month. What’s even more amazing is that they did this without changing their dietary habits or exercise routines. In essence, Garcinia Cambogia Extract just made the people involved in the studies lose weight while doing nothing.
This article was written by Nakita Valerio, B.A, CSN, BMSA Technician. She has been working for Optimum Health Vitamins since 2007, during which she has gained a deep appreciation and understanding for the complexities of human nutrtition, and has spent hundreds of hours researching the topic. Her current position is online media assistant - a job she currently enjoys from Morocco!
Disclaimer: The above information is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended to replace the advice of your physician.
