This article is focused on the million dollar question on everyone’s lips: Does Garcinia Cambogia work for weight loss? I’ve extracted information from clinical studies as well as the overall consumer experience to answer this! But first, a quick recap of what Garcinia Cambogia Extract (GCE) is and why it’s causing such a commotion.
What is Garcinia Cambogia?
Garcinia Cambogia is touted as a ‘revolutionary new fat burner’ supplement that helps weight loss in two ways: firstly by blocking the body’s ability to store new fat cells and secondly by stimulating the production of serotonin which curbs the appetite and reduces cravings. Derived from the rind of the Malabar tamarind fruit, found in South East Asia and India, the supplement has been featured in magazines where celebrities including Kim Kardashian have attributed extraordinary weight loss to the pil. It is gaining momentum amongst the health, fitness and nutrition crowd as it is a natural supplement with no artificial ingredients (when you buy an authentic version, of course).
But the reviews and feedback on the internet is an extremely mixed bag overall, with some people claiming moderate to good weight loss and others claiming no weight loss at all. So I’m here to answer the question rocking the weight loss world: Does Garcinia Cambogia actually work?
Clinical trials
The problem with any new herbal supplement is that often there is limited research that needs more rigorous scientific backing before it can go mainstream. This is unfortunately the case for Garcinia Cambogia too – whilst the initial trials are positive, overall the supplement could do with some robust trialling to find out exactly how effective it is with a range of subjects. However, the initial findings ar...
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It increases the rate at which the body converts the food that you eat and the stored body fats into usable energy in the body. If you reduce the amount of stored fat in the body, then by default that translates into a significant weight loss result; and the good thing about this dietary supplement is that it allows you to make use of other supplements in conjunction.
Dietary supplements are used to add additional nutritional value to the diet. Some common forms of supplements include: vitamins, amino acids, minerals, herbs, and enzymes, and can be found in a multitude of forms such as capsules, liquids, gel caps, powders, and tablets. Dietary supplements are becoming increasingly popular among Americans today. According to the Centers for Disease and Control, “Over half of the adults in the U.S. use at least one type of dietary supplement, the most common being multivitamins.”1 Many use these vitamins because they are believed to present a number of benefits, such as helping or treating diseases, etc. While dietary supplements can be beneficial to your health; Americans should also be cognizant of the health
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Whitney, E., Debruyne, L. K., Pinna, K., & Rolfes, S. R. (2011). Nutrition for health and health
Genetics plays a major role in obesity; inherited genes sometimes contribute to the accumulation of fat in the body. Over 200 genes have effect on the weight having repercussions from physical activity, food choices and metabolism. Therefore, genes may increase the vulnerability of a person to become obese. Family eating patterns and social tendencies can also trigger obesity. Moreover, environmental circumstances such as availability of food high in calories and fat and the increase of the portions and combination selections in meals contribute to the development of fat accumulated for years in the body (Whitney & Rolfes, 2011, pg. 277).
Russell, W. R., Gratz, S. W., Duncan, S. H., Holtrop, G., Ince, J., Scobbie, L., . . . Flint, H. J. (2011). High-protein, reduced-carbohydrate weight-loss diets promote metabolite profiles likely to be detrimental to colonic health. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 93(5), 1062-1072. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.110.002188
The weight loss industry is a multi-billion dollar machine, perpetually fueled by not only new information, but also data that have remained true for decades. Although it is unsurprising that the human body will lose weight when it expends more calories than it consumes, new findings lead to several alternative diets and weight loss methods that gain much more popularity than the basic concept of eating less and exercising more. For
Every day people are becoming more and more concerned with their health and their appearance. Thanks to scientific research there are many remedies to improve the human body. As far as weight loss there is exercise, diets, pills, and different surgical procedures. Diet pills have become a very popular supplement to assist in weight loss, but with diet pills come many questions; are they safe, do they really work, and mainly if they are a good product or not. In order to know whether or not something a quality product, is to know how it works. The ingredients are very important and unfortunately not every diet pill has the same ingredients. There are multiple types of pills, with different effects, and conditions. There are three popular types of pills. There are appetite suppressors, metabolism regulators, and fat absorbing pills. Combining these effects into one pill with the correct usage creates positive results.
Victor Herbert, M.D., J.D. Total Nutrition: The Only Guide You'll Ever Need. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1995.
Herbal remedies’ qualities are widespread availability, lower cost, effective for chronic conditions. Herbal remedies are the use of plants or plant extract to treat a person’ overall health. Herbal treatments are prominent for developing countries for instance, “in Africa up to 90% and in India 70% of the population depend on traditional medicine to help meet their health care needs” (Wachtel-Galor & Benzie, 2011), due to their low cost and availability. Herbal remedies have gained attention in the past decades, and expanding their uses due to the increased interest of natural therapies (Wachtel-Galor & Benzie, 2011). Herbs used on the remedies grow in the wild throughout the world, therefore making it easy to
Weight control is a concern of most individuals, and as a person ages weight becomes more difficult to manage. When this problem occurs, the majority of people look to exercise or diet change for answer. In order to manage one’s weight a person must eat fewer calories than they expend, which can be completed by consuming foods with lower energy density, high fiber, and high water content. When it comes to research and diet it is common knowledge that fruits and vegetables are superior in nutrition when compared to the other food groups. According to the Center for Disease Control, “consuming a diet high in fruits and vegetables is associated with lower risks for numerous chronic diseases including cancer and cardiovascular disease” (Can, n.d.,
Health claims are booming in today’s world. Many of these consumers are being misled by advertising and believe that their choice will benefit their health. Although herbal medicines have been in existence throughout human evolution, I have chosen to take a deeper look into these health practices. I’m curious if this is just another health claim or if there are actual benefits to taking these medicines.
One of the benefits I have noticed over time is a gradual increase in weight loss. I started out this course at 182 pounds, which of course means I am obese. I am ending this course at 174 pounds for a loss of eight pounds. While I realize that eight pounds is not exactly heading into the thin department, it is certainly a start in the right direction for me.