#TabletTuesday - Garcinia Cambogia

This weeks #TabletTuesday is discussing an ingredient/ extract that I had never heard of before... Garcinia Cambogia Extract.

Garcinia Cambogia is?a tropical plant native to India and South-East Asia. It looks like a cross between a pumpkin and a tomato. The skin of the fruit contains a chemical called hydroxycitric acid (HCA), which has been found to aid weight loss.

People claim it has the ability to block body weight gain as it blocks an enzyme called citrate lyase and can also significantly reduces your appetite as it raises levels of serotonin within the brain.

This weight loss process may be due to the active ingredients in Garcinia Cambogia helping to keep blood sugar and cholesterol levels low thanks to an active ingredient in the fruit’s rind known as hydroxycitric acid or HCA.

A review in the Journal of Obesity found that human subjects who took Cambogia supplement in studies lost about 2lbs more body fat than people who didn’t – making the body mass loss results less than impressive compared with maintaining a healthy lifestyle and balanced diet as many healthcare professional recommend.

Some research has also identified Cambogia as being able to improve cholesterol levels, lowering and reducing the bad cholesterol known as ‘LDL’, helping those who suffer from Type 2 diabetes.

More benefits of Garcinia Cambogia

Appetite suppressant

It’s believed that garcinia cambogia suppresses 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.

Reduced visceral fat

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.

Exercise support

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.

Aided digestion

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 diarrhea, although research on this is lacking.

Cholesterol reduction

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.

Blood sugar control

Research has shown that HCA, the active ingredient in garcinia cambogia, can cause a reduction in?blood glucose?after meals.?This is because it can slow the absorption of glucose by the small intestine. One study found an improvement in blood glucose profiles after subjects taking 1000mg garcinia cambogia daily for six months.

But where can you get it?

It's found in Holland & Barrett as a supplement but can also be found in:

AdvaCare Pharma USA

Nutra Food Ingredients Ltd

HERBAL CREATIONS

Where else can you get it from?