If you struggle with a heavy appetite or sluggish metabolism, burning more calories than you take in can be especially challenging. Garcinia Cambogia is one supplement that can help you control binge eating and super-charge your fat-burning efforts.
What Is Garcinia Cambogia?
Garcinia Cambogia is a fruit also known as the Malabar tamarind or gamboge fruit. This fruit grows on the Garcinia gummi-gutta tree, which is found in the tropical climates of Myanmar, Indonesia, and India. In its early stages, Garcinia Cambogia is light green, but turns a bright red or yellow color as it ripens. Mature fruit is approximately the size of an orange, yet shaped like a pumpkin.
How it Works
The rind of this fruit contains an acid known as hydroxycitric acid or HCA, which reduces the appetite by increasing serotonin levels in the brain. This makes it possible for you to avoid binge eating due to stress. Garcinia Cambogia helps regulate blood glucose levels, and is sometimes taken to control diabetes. Since a drop in blood glucose levels tends to accompany hunger pains, garcinina cambogia could therefore help you go longer between meals. HCA is also thought to be effective at helping the body improve its fat-burning capabilities. It does so by blocking an enzyme in the body known as citrate lyase, which is used to make fat.
Research Findings
Scientists first discovered HCA during the 1960s, but it wasn’t until the 1990s that extensive research on its effects was performed. This early research showed that HCA effectively caused weight loss in animals; however, a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 1998 reported it had no effect on humans. Dr. Harry Preuss of Georgetown University conducted another study a few years later, which showed that bioavailability played a role in HCA’s effectiveness. Put simply, the better your body is able to absorb HCA, the more effective it will be. As such, the compound, dosage, and how you take Garcinia Cambogia will all play a role in its effectiveness.
Recommended Dosages
Results from Dr. Preuss’ study showed that adding calcium, magnesium, and potassium salts to HCA improves the way your body absorbs it. When added at a ratio that is 1-to-1 or higher, these salts prevent free HCA from converting into an inactive compound known as HCA lactone. The ideal supplement will contain at least 50% HCA, along with calcium, magnesium, and potassium salts and a low lactone content. The greatest results are possible whenever around 1.5 grams are taken approximately 30 to 60 minutes before meals. Taking with meals is not recommended, as HCA becomes less effective if allowed to bind with food.
Garcinia Cambogia contains no stimulants, making it one of the safest weight-loss supplements on the market. Even so, it will not work unless you consciously make an effort to eat right and exercise. It is also not intended to provide you with a significant amount of weight loss, although it will boost your efforts substantially.
