Garcinia cambogia side effects and health benefits
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Obesity is a global public health problem, with about 315
million people worldwide estimated to fall into the WHO-defined
obesity categories. Traditional herbal medicines may have some
potential in managing obesity. Botanical dietary supplements
often contain complex mixtures of phytochemicals that have
additive or synergistic interactions.
WHAT ARE THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF GARCINIA
CAMBOGIA?
The dried fruit rind of Garcinia cambogia, also known as
Malabar tamarind, is a unique source of (-)-hydroxycitric acid
(HCA), which exhibits a distinct sour taste and has been safely
used for centuries in Southeastern Asia to make meals more
filling. [3] Garcinia extract has been used as anti-obesity
agent. In cell studies, Garcinia extract has been shown to
inhibit the cytoplasmic lipid accumulation and adipogenic
differentiation of preadipocytes. [2]
(-)-Hydroxycitric acid (HCA) is also a popular
supplement for weight management. [1]
HCA is a competitive inhibitor of the enzyme ATP citrate lyase,
which catalyzes the conversion of citrate and coenzyme A to
oxaloacetate and acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl CoA) in the
cytosol. Acetyl CoA is used in the synthesis of fatty acids,
cholesterol and triglycerides, and in the synthesis of
acetylcholine in the central nervous system. [4]
Recently, researchers have developed a derivative of HCA,
known as HCA-SX or Super Citrimax to weight management or
obesity prevention. They found low-dose oral HCA-SX altered
the body weight and abdominal fat gene expression profile of
Sprague-Dawley rats. [3] Basically, HCA-SX is suggested that
it can promote fat oxidation, enhance serotonin release and
availability in the brain cortex, normalize lipid profiles, and
lowes serum leptin levels in obese subjects. or in hematology,
clinical chemistry, and histopathology. [4]
SIDE EFFECTS AND TOXICITY OF GARCINIA
CAMBOGIA EXTRACTs
A study of rats show the treatment of (-)-Hydroxycitric acid
(HCA), a natural extract from the dried fruit rind of Garcinia
cambogia, over a period of 90 days results in a reduction in
body weight, but did not cause any changes in hepatic and
testicular lipid peroxidation, DNA fragmentation, or
histopathological changes. [1] However, in a study of male
Zucker obese rats, diets containing high content of Garcinia
cambogia extracts caused potent testicular atrophy and
toxicity.
In a subchronic study in rats, the administration of HCA-SX at
doses up to 2500 mg/kg/day for a period of 90 days caused a
significant decrease in body weight and reduction in feed
consumption without any serious side effects. Some
researchers believe that HCA-SX is unlikely to cause
reproductive or developmental effects. [5]
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FOR ANY QUESTIONS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2006 ZHION.
REFERENCE:
[1] Shara M et al, Dose- and time-dependent effects of a novel (-)-hydroxycitric
acid extract on body weight, hepatic and testicular lipid peroxidation, DNA
fragmentation and histopathological data over a period of 90 days. Mol Cell
Biochem. 2003 Dec;254(1-2):339-46. [2] Kim MS et al, Anti-adipogenic effects
of Garcinia extract on the lipid droplet accumulation and the expression of
transcription factor. Biofactors. 2004;22(1-4):193-6. [3] Roy S et al, Body
weight and abdominal fat gene expression profile in response to a novel
hydroxycitric acid-based dietary supplement. Gene Expr. 2004;11(5-6):251-62.
[4] Shara M et al, Physico-chemical properties of a novel (-)-hydroxycitric acid
extract and its effect on body weight, selected organ weights, hepatic lipid
peroxidation and DNA fragmentation, hematology and clinical chemistry, and
histopathological changes over a period of 90 days. Mol Cell Biochem. 2004
May;260(1-2):171-86. [5] Soni MG et al, Safety assessment of (-)-hydroxycitric
acid and Super CitriMax, a novel calcium/potassium salt. Food Chem Toxicol.
2004 Sep;42(9):1513-29. [6] Saito M, High dose of Garcinia cambogia is
effective in suppressing fat accumulation in developing male Zucker obese rats,
but highly toxic to the testis. Food Chem Toxicol. 2005 Mar;43(3):411-9.

