Garcinia cambogia side effects and health benefits

Garcinia cambogia
side effects and health benefits

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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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.