Q. Do you have any information about Garcinia cambogia? It is being touted as the next big thing for weight loss. Is there any research to back this up? Any concerns?
A. The data to support the effectiveness of this Indonesian fruit rind for weight loss are inconclusive. Any benefit appears to be modest.
According to a new report from ConsumerLab.com, several of the Garcinia cambogia products on the market do not contain the labeled amount of active ingredient. Side effects may include digestive upset and headache. Some animal research suggests liver inflammation is possible (World Journal of Gastroenterology, Aug. 7, 2013).
Even prescription medications for weight loss require people to follow a diet that will result in lost pounds. To learn more about such a diet, you may wish to listen to one of our radio shows. Dr. Michelle Harvie described the 2-Day Diet recently, and last year we spoke with Dr. Jennie Brand-Miller and Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian about weight loss regimens, with a focus on glycemic index and glycemic load.
