Is Garcinia Cambogia Good For Weight Loss? Everything You Need To Know!

Garcinia Cambogia, the name sounds weird, but this fruit which is a native to Indonesia has been famous for its weight loss abilities. It is a small pumpkin-shaped fruit and its yellow-colored peels are known to provide benefits. The fruit peel contains hydroxycitric acid (HCA) and this is used in making supplements that aid in weight loss.

HCA is basically a derivative of Citric acid and a lot of studies have shown that it is effective for reducing weight as it reduces the production of serotonin and thereby makes you feel less hungry.       

How Does Garcinia Cambogia Help You To Lose Weight?

Garcinia Cambogia is shown to create a weight loss of around 2 pounds when consumed in a time period of two to twelve weeks. Some other studies on the other hand when done on a larger sample of participants yielded no particular result in terms of weight loss using Garcinia Cambogia. So altogether the evidence suggests a mixed result as for some it may provide some weight loss benefits and in other cases nothing at all. 

It is also to be noted that it may help in fat production and in turn reduce the fat around the belly area. In a study, it was shown that Garcinia Cambogia when taken at around 2,800 milligrams on a per-day basis for around eight weeks, reduced the cholesterol levels of the participants to a notable level. This can be because Garcinia Cambogia inhibits the production of citrate lyase, a fat-producing enzyme. 

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the percentage of obese adults in the US was around 41.9 percent from 2017-20. This index has been showing a clear increase in the percentage. The past three years also don’t seem to show any decrease in these numbers as the Covid-19 lockdown period was considered a fostering ground for conditions like obesity as people were forced to stay indoors without any proactive lifestyle.

obesity is linked to weakened immunity

Obesity is known to cause severe risk for people affected with the Covid-19 virus as obesity is linked to weakened immunity. Research done on Covid-19 patients revealed that the risk of hospitalization and admission to the ICU was tentatively higher in people with increased Body Mass Index (BMI). Obese children are more at risk than adults as they tend to get infections sooner.

Obesity is considered a gateway to other major conditions like stroke, heart disease, diabetes, metabolic disorders, thyroid dysfunction, etc. It is one of the major causes of death among Americans. Consumption of junk foods, lack of proper exercise, unhealthy sleep timings, stressful environment, and genetic predisposition can all cause obesity. The different racial and ethnic groups also have different responses to obesity.

Some racial groups are prone to obesity more than others. Certain medications can also cause metabolic issues and lead to obesity. The CDC states that state interventions in the form of nutrition campaigns, sensitization of communities, routine community health check-ups, etc. can be good initiatives to solve the problem of obesity in adults and children. 

Moderate exercise, a non-fattening, and nutrients-based diet, and a relaxed environment can help you lose that extra weight. Supplements that contain Garcinia Cambogia are also known to work to an extent but these mostly vary from individual to individual. So it is not advisable to blindly trust and depend only on these supplements for reducing weight.

Conclusion

If you are overweight or obese, consult a physician or a dietician to follow a properly prescribed diet regimen and lifestyle modifications that can enable you to reduce weight without any major side effects. It is not advisable to follow drastic diet plans or buy supplements that offer quick results as these can cause long-term or short-term health problems.