Dr Oz Garcinia Cambogia: An Evidence-Based Review

Garcinia Cambogia is the trendy diet supplement that promises to get you the hot body of your dreams. It has gained huge support from the glitterati in the health and wellness community including Dr. Oz of The Doctor Oz Show. Dr. Oz touts Garcinia Cambogia as “the holy grail of weight loss.”

You may be skeptical about any diet supplement like Garcinia Cambogia that has earned such high praise. Is Garcinia Cambogia really the miracle diet supplement that Dr. Oz claims it is?

Amidst all the excitement around this hot supplement, it’s too easy to overlook the facts. Garcinia Cambogia demands a closer look at the facts and science behind it.

See for yourself the real deal behind Garcinia Cambogia. Find out why Dr. Oz puts his stamp of approval on this miracle supplement.

What is Garcinia Cambogia?

Also known as the malabar tamarind, Garcinia Cambogia is an apple sized citrus fruit that that looks like a yellow pumpkin. Native to tropical areas of Southeast Asia and India, the people in this area have been cooking with and using the fruit for a very long time. The fruit commonly appears in stews, soups, and curries. The fruit’s sour taste led the people in the area to using it for medicinal purposes. The indigenous people believed sour tasting foods like Garcinia Cambogia would benefit digestion.

The sour taste probably doesn’t cause the many medicinal benefits of Garcinia Cambogia. Full of hydroxycitric acid (HCA) , the fruit’s rind is the secret to the powerful health effects. Scientists discovered this acid in the 1960s and found it very similar to the citric acid found in oranges and other citrus fruits. These benefits include:

• Lowering cholesterol
• Increased energy levels
• Better sleep
• Better mood
• Changes in body composition that reduce belly fat storage
• Reduced sugar cravings
• Antioxidant properties

As Dr. Oz recognized, the evidence is there that Garcinia Cambogia’s hydroxycitric acid has many powerful health benefits. Many of these benefits make losing weight a much easier and less painless process. Sounds good, right? Of course it does. That’s why there is so much hubbub about Garcinia Cambogia.

The Science Behind Garcinia Cambogia and Weight Loss

Dr. Oz says Garcinia Cambogia “is a revolutionary fat buster.” But do Oz’s claims about Garcinia Cambogia hold true? Let’s examine how Garcinia Cambogia works so you can decide for yourself.

While no diet supplement is a miracle solution to weight loss, Garcinia Cambogia can make losing weight much easier. Dr. Oz simply recognized that the HCA in Garcinia Cambogia does have many powerful health and weight loss benefits, many of which making losing weight 10 times easier. Unlike other products on the market, Garcinia Cambogia effectively scorches body fat without subjecting you to the scary side effects that some other supplements have. Garcinia Cambogia users report none of the shakiness or rapid heart rate that come along with inferior caffeine and additive laced drugs.

So how does it work?

The HCA promotes fat loss naturally without jittery side effects. This magic acid is key to the weight loss power of Garcinia Cambogia.

The hydroxycitric acid (HCA) prevents the body from making as much fat. If the body isn’t making fat, it must burn fat to perform its daily functions. Burning its own fat gives the body energy. When the body burns its fat, it sends the fat from fat cells into the blood stream to be transported to areas where energy is needed. (1)

Studies prove that Garcinia Cambogia’s HCA blocks fat storage, promoting fat burn. The same study showed hydroxycitric acid also counteracts genetics that cause obesity and excess weight gain.

So how does it do this?

According to Shape, it works by:

• Suppresses appetite with serotonin. HCA stimulates the release of the chemical serotonin. Serotonin is a mood boosting chemical that helps control appetite, mood, and sleep. When there’s not enough serotonin in the body, the body craves fattening, carbohydrate laden comfort food, which is called comfort food because these high fat, high carb foods increase serotonin levels and make us feel good. So if there was more serotonin in the body to begin with from the HCA, the you wouldn’t have cravings for these fattening foods or want to eat for comfort. (2)
• Stopping citrate lyase from transforming and storing carbohydrates as fat. Citrate lyase breaks down carbohydrates and turns them into glucose. The body then can use the glucose right away for energy or save it for later as fat. The HCA in Garcinia Cambogia makes the citrate lyase only release the glucose that body will use immediately. If the body stores glucose as fat, it goes through the liver and muscle stores before it causes the fat tissues to grow. Since HCA limits the amount of glucose released, it limits the amount of glucose that can be stored as fat. If the body releases a limited amount of glucose, then the body will be able to use all the released glucose as energy. When those reserves are gone, the liver then burns existing fat to release the energy the body needs. (3)

The facts are clear. Science supports that Garcinia Cambogia has benefits that result in weight loss especially when you add it to a healthy diet and exercise routine. Adding Garcinia Cambogia into a healthy lifestyle will help you bust through plateaus and accelerate your weight loss journey.

Dr. Oz and Garcinia Cambogia

With the facts presented, it’s no wonder that Dr. Oz sang the praises of Garcinia Cambogia. When someone in the media spotlight makes bold claims that call a diet supplement a “revolutionary fat buster” or “the simple solution to bust your body fat for good,” the media pays attention.

So Dr. Oz’s unadulterated praise of Garcinia Cambogia catapulted himself, his show The Dr. Oz. Show, and Garcinia Cambogia into the national spotlight. Unfortunately, the attention Dr. Oz gave to Garcinia Cambogia sparked controversy.

Skeptics, including fellow doctors and members of Congress, dragged Dr. Oz to court over his praise. Why would anyone take someone to court for supporting something science backs?

First, Oz’s strong support makes some people say that his support of Garcinia Cambogia preys upon his audience. The vast majority of his audience are females, many of whom are looking to loose weight. His opponents felt his audience was vulnerable to fall victim to a scam.(4)

Secondly, many less than reputable Garcinia Cambogia manufacturers have slapped Oz’s face and words on their bottles without Oz’s permission. The companies doing this generally are not using the proper supplement ingredients and producing inferior and sometimes dangerous products.

Fortunately, Oz prevailed in court. Though Dr. Oz did make some strong statements that his opponents called “flowery,” medical experts like wellness expert and board certified physician Dr. Julie Chen have supported Dr. Oz’s praise with evidence of Garcinia Cambogia’s ability to help people get healthy. Her support and the evidence she presented on The Dr. Oz Show clearly debunks any chance that Garcinia Cambogia does not work. (5)

Dr. Chen penned an article for Huffingon Post in support of Garcinia Cambogia. She has been using Garcinia Cambogia with her patients and finds the “preliminary studies promising.” Aside from weight loss, Dr. Chen cites the following as potential benefits from Garcinia Cambogia:

• Change in body composition resulting in more lean muscle and less fat
• Helps you feel full faster
• Lifts mood
• Breaks through stubborn plateaus

Having experts like Dr. Chen back him up helped keep Dr. Oz’s reputation in tact. Additionally, Dr. Oz aimed to make it very clear that he does not support specific, inferior supplements. Dr. Oz launched the “It’s Not Me” campaign to protect his name and image from these supplement sharks.

10 Benefits of Garcinia Cambogia

Garcinia Cambogia has a number of benefits. These benefits include:

1. Weight loss. Garcinia Cambogia’s active ingredient HCA melts away extra pounds as it blocks fat storage and decreases appetite.
2. Better mood. Garcinia Cambogia increases serotonin production. Since serotonin is a feel good chemical, having more of it in your system lifts your mood. In fact, many antidepressants work to increase serotonin levels to beat depression symptoms. Because the HCA in Garcina Cambogia triggers the release of more serotonin naturally, Garcinia Cambogia users report a decrease in sadness and depression and less mood swings. Studies have proven that HCA triggered the release in extra serotonin in lab animals. (6)
3. More muscle, less fat. One of the perks of Garcinia Cambogia that impressed Dr. Chen and Dr. Oz the most was its ability to change the composition of your body. With more muscle mass, your body’s metabolism speeds up, burning more fat.
4. Busting through stubborn plateaus. HCA speeds up weight loss, shattering plateaus. Research shows that Garcinia Cambogia makes your body burn more energy, which increases calorie burn. This helps you loose weight faster. Additionally, it changes the biomechanics of how the body handles stored, stubborn fat. These mechanisms add up to an increase in weight loss if you’ve been struggling to loose the pounds. (7)
5. Better sleep. A pleasant effect of the extra serotonin the HCA releases is better sleep. Serotonin regulates sleep cycles especially in people who’s sleep is regularly disrupted with travel and other lifestyle issues. Plus a higher level of serotonin helps fight biological sleep disturbances like sleep apnea. (8)
6. Less belly fat. Garcinia Cambogia inadvertently prevents and burns belly fat as a byproduct of the extra serotonin the HCA triggers. Since serotonin promotes better sleep, it decreases the production of the stress hormone cortisol. This hormone stores fat deep in the belly. This fat, known as visceral fat, not only looks bad and causes an increase in weight and waistline but puts pressure on the internal organs. The fact acts as a living tissue and triggers more cortisol to be released and more insulin to be produced. All of this cortisol creates a perfect environment for more fat to form while too much insulin raises the risk of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. HCA breaks this vicious cycle.(9)
7. Reduced cravings. Because the extra serotonin lifts energy and mood, the body no longer searches for quick burst of energy through sugar or other carb laden food. The body no longer needs the comfort and the energy from these foods.
   
8. Antioxidant properties. The indigenous people of Southeast Asia were definitely onto something when they used the malabar tamarind plant for medicinal purposes. It turns out Garcinia Cambogia may be a powerful healer. Garicol, an enzyme in Garcinia Cambogia, may effectively fight cancer. Studies have shown that garicol can stop pancreatic cancer cells from spreading.
   
9. Reduced cholesterol levels. Cholesterol is the waxy, fatty substance that lives in the body and can build up and clog the arteries leading to devastating health consequences like heart attack and stroke. While the body requires some cholesterol to function, too much of the bad LDL cholesterol is a problem. Cholesterol by itself is not a problem. Too much cholesterol clogs arteries and leads to heart disease. Since bad cholesterol is very similar to fat, it isn’t surprising that Garcinia Cambogia can lower cholesterol the way it can bust fat. Some cholesterol deposits are stored in fat. Since Garcinia Cambogia burns fat and prevents the body from making new fat, it burns through bad cholesterol in the process. Studies proved taking 750 mg of Garcinia Cambogia per day for 12 weeks significantly lowered cholesterol levels. (10)
   
10. Increased exercise performance. HCA may increase the exercise performance, especially in women. If exercise endurance increase, you may find working out easier and work out for longer, burning more calories.

Garcinia Cambogia Side Effects

The beauty of Garcinia Cambogia is it is relatively safe. Because Garcinia Cambogia is a fruit, people in southeast Asia have eating and using the fruit for years with no known ill side effects. It’s not surprising that studies have shown Garcinia Cambogia has no significant side effects when taken daily for 12 weeks. (11)

However, it should be noted that there have been some mixed user reviews regarding side effects. While no serious side effects were noted, some Garcinia Cambogia users complained of digestive issues like gas, abdominal bloating, and diarrhea. Other uses also report dry mouth and dizziness. (12)

Unfortunately, other diet drugs like Hydroxycut have given pure Garcinia Cambogia a bad reputation with the FDA. In 2009, the FDA warned consumers that Garcinia Cambogia could damage the liver as Hydroxycut users showed some liver damage and Hydroxycut contains a mix of Garcinia Cambogia and many other compounds and additives. It was never clear that Garcinia Cambogia itself caused the damage. A later 2013 study of Garcinia Cambogia showed HCA does no harm to the liver or kidneys.

Though evidence proves the safety of Garcinia Cambogia itself, you should use caution when purchasing Garcinia Cambogia as Dr. Oz recommends. Many of the lesser supplements contain ingredients like extreme levels of caffeine or untested additives in addition to Garcinia Cambogia. These ingredients can cause adverse reactions and you should avoid supplements that contain them.

Helpful Hints for Taking Garcinia Cambogia

According to a leader in Garcinia Cambogia research, Dr. Preuss, getting the best results from Garcinia Cambogia depends on you taking it exactly right. Following the recommendations Preuss outlined in his 2013 report.allows the HCA to be more usable by the body. Essentially, you must take the right dose at the right time and follow a healthy diet to get the best results when using Garcinia Cambogia.

To maximize your results with Garcinia Cambogia follow these tips and tricks:

• Take Garcinia Cambogia 30 minutes before a meal
• Make sure you take it on an empty stomach
• Take a total of 1600 mg of Garcinia Cambogia a day
• Break the dosage up into 2-3 servings prior to meals.
• Follow Preuss’s golden rule: If you don’t comply, don’t complain. Follow the instructions for taking Garcinia Cambogia exactly along with following a sensible diet and exercise plan. Not complying with his guidelines will result in less than optimal results.

Where to Buy Garcinia Cambogia for Weight Loss

While it’s easy to buy Garcinia Cambogia online and in big box stores, you must make informed purchasing decisions when buying Garcinia Cambogia. Thanks in part to the media frenzy caused by Dr. Oz’s endorsement of Garcinia Cambogia, scams are on the rise. Suppliers are selling products that don’t meet the quality standards you need in the supplement or lacing the supplements with nasty extras. Choose Garcinia Cambogia supplements that meet all of the guidelines and don’t include lots of additives.

You can check out our recommended brand: Pure Garcinia Cambogia Extract.

Garcinia Cambogia Buyer’s Guide

It’s crucial to check the label when before you buy Garcinia Cambogia. When you check the label, make sure Garcinia Cambogia meets Dr. Oz’s recommendations. Beware of anything that sounds too good to be true and do not buy Garcinia Cambogia that has Dr. Oz’s picture on the bottle.

• Make sure Garcinia Cambogia doesn’t have fillers like calcium.
• It must contain 50% Hydroxycitric Acid (HCA).
• The ingredients should be clearly labeled.
• It must have no fillers, binders or any other extra ingredients.
• It must be 100% pure
• The capsule should be vegetarian.
• Make sure the supplement is made in an approved registered laboratory.
• Make sure the manufacturing facility is cGMP certified.
• The brand should meet the US Pharmacopeia’s quality standards.
• Make sure the label contains the words “Garcinia Cambogia” or “GCE” (Garcinia Cambogia Extract)

Remember, proper dosage is key! Make sure to buy a brand that makes it possible to take a total of 1600 mg of Garcinia Cambogia a day broken up into 2-3 servings prior to meals.

Conclusion: Is Dr. Oz right about Garcinia Cambogia? Will Garcinia Cambogia help you uncover your best body?

After all the evidence is presented, it is easy to see why Dr. Oz got so excited about Garcinia Cambogia. This supplement has major potential to help you uncover your best body as you loose weight. It’s numerous health benefits aside from weight loss like better sleep, improved mood, and decreased cholesterol make it worth a second look.

Bottom line: Dr. Oz feels comfortable giving the supplement to his friends and family for a reason. It works when paired with a sensible diet and exercise plan. Just use discretion when buying Garcinia Cambogia and get ready to enjoy the results.