One supplement I often see advertised, is Garcinia Cambogia, whose advocates are all over blogs like this one. Whenever I post a blog here, whether about weight loss surgery or some other diet craze, I almost, invaribly, get a comment or two advocating Garcinia Cambogia and so I decided to research it a bit.
In investigating it, I found that there were concerns about how safe it was to use as well as not being effective for what they are pushing it for ... weight loss. The active ingredient in Garcinia Cambogia which supposedly causes weight loss, is hydroxycitric acid, or HCA = this is also included in other weight loss supplements.
In one study, the average weight loss in folks taking Garcinia Cambogia, was 2 lbs and the researchers couldn't really say if it was the lowered calories or the supplement that caused the weight loss, but they concluded it was likely the lower calorie intake of the cohort that caused the weight loss.
Garcinia Cambogia is apparently a tropical fruit which resembles grapefruit - people who have eaten it, say it tastes good but the medical profession does not feel it's a good weight loss supplement. As for the claims of lowering the blood sugar levels in diabetics, this, again, is unproven.
One article advocates a person wishing to lose weight would be better off, buying an exercise DVD than investing in Garcinia Cambogia. I agree there. Although convincing people to buy Garcinia Cambogia might be a cash cow for those selling it, it appears to be a waste of time for those wanting to lose weight or control diabetes.
