Garcinia cambogia’s reputation as a weight-loss aid is down to the active ingredient hydroxycitric acid (HCA).
HCA is a chemical found concentrated in the rind of the garcinia cambogia fruit. Scientists have found that HCA can help to metabolise fats in the body.
Studies have found that garcinia cambogia is also capable of boosting the metabolic rate – which means that when taking it, we may burn more calories at rest.
More calories burned at rest equates to more weight loss over time.
In one study on the potential weight loss benefits of garcinia cambogia, participants took 500mg garcinia cambogia twice a day.
After 6 months, the participants basal metabolic rate was measured and was found to have increased, possibly explaining the weight loss.
Another mechanism that garcinia cambogia may promote weight loss is by helping to prevent overeating.
It’s believed that garcinia cambogia supresses the appetite thanks to the active ingredient HCA.
This has been demonstrated in several studies, and is thought to be down to the activity of HCA on chemicals in the brain.
There are several studies which confirm that garcinia cambogia is effective at helping overall weight loss.
A 2003 study conducted in Japan found that after 16 weeks taking garcinia cambogia extract, participants had significantly reduced fat compared with those on the study who took a placebo.
Another study from 2018 found that taking 1000mg garcinia cambogia every day for 6 months – without changing their other lifestyle factors – saw weight loss in the majority of study participants.
Garcinia cambogia has also shown to be effective in helping people to lose visceral fat – the type of fat which accumulates inside the abdominal cavity and raises your risk of many diseases.
In one study, after 16 weeks of taking garcinia cambogia daily, people experienced a reduction in visceral fat without any negative side-effects.13
It’s been suggested that garcinia cambogia may be effective in helping athletic performance.
This is down to the HCA it contains. HCA supplementation has shown in studies to promote the utilisation of fat as an energy source, which helps preserve glycogen stores in the body.
Glycogen stores are the main fuel for exercise endurance, so preserving them may help you work out for longer.
Traditionally, garcinia cambogia has been used as a digestive aid.
Garcinia cambogia rind is frequently referred to in traditional medicinal literature as a remedy for bowel issues and diarrhoea, although research on this is lacking.
Garcinia cambogia has shown to hold lipid-lowering properties in some studies. This means it could potentially be useful for lowering high cholesterol.
A study published in 2018 in BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine found that taking garcinia cambogia decreased levels of cholesterol in people’s blood, with no adverse effects found.