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Garcinia

Garcinia cambogia, commonly known as Gambooge, Brindleberry, or Malabar tamarind belongs to the species Garcinia and is native to Indonesia, Southeast Asia, and Southern Africa. This subtropical species bears yellowish fruit that is pumpkin shaped. In traditional Indian medicine it was used to treat a number of ailments. Concoctions derived from this plant were used to provide relief from edema, constipation, intestinal parasites, rheumatism, and bowel complications. Today it is mostly associated with weight loss and weight maintenance. A 1965 research trial revealed that hydroxycitric acid (HCA) is the main active constituent in the rind and flesh of the fruit. HCA is much like the citric acid found in other fruits, but has a slightly different chemical configuration.

Studies have shown that HCA is a potent inhibitor of fatty acid synthesis and lipogenesis. HCA serves as a competitive inhibitor of adenosine triphosphate citrate. In the cytosol outside the mitochondrion, citrate lyase is responsible for the cleavage of citrate into oxaloacetate and acetyl-CoA. When HCA is bound instead of citrate, Acetyl CoA becomes limited. Acetyl CoA forms the foundation for fatty acid chains, and is therefore an important building block for fat synthesis and storage (Sullivan, 1972). In animal studies HCA has also shown to decrease the rate of cholesterol synthesis by interfering with the introduction of substrate into the sterol biosynthesis pathway (Pullinger, 1983). HCA also interferes and slows the biosynthesis of triglycerides, phospholipids, diglycerides, cholesteryl esters, and free fatty acids (Hamilton, 1977).

In animal studies HCA derived from garcinia has shown to suppress appetite and induce weight loss (Triscari, 1977) (Greenwood, 1981). Human studies differ from animals studies, indicating that garcinia may be more useful in moderating weight gain and weight maintenance after initial weight loss (Greenwood, 1981). It should be noted that garcinia, or any HCA supplement should not be taken by pregnant women, children, and any individual who required elevated levels of fat synthesis. However, for healthy individuals, garcinia can be a helpful supplement to good diet and exercise.

References

Greenwood M, , Cleary M, Gruen R, Blasé D, Stern J, Triscari J, Sullivan A. Effect of (-)-hydroxycitrate on development of obesity in Zucker obese rat. Am J Physiol. 1981, 240:72-78.

Hamilton J, Sullivan A, Kritchevsky D. Hypolipidemic activity of (-)-hydroxycitrate. Lipids. 1977, 12:1-9.

Pullinger C, Gibbons G. The role of substrate supply in the regulation of cholesterol biosynthesis in rat hepatocytes. Biochem J. 1983, 210:625-632.

Sullivan A, Hamilton J, Miller O, Wheatley V. Inhibition of lipogenesis in rat liver by (-)-hydroxycitrate. Arch Biochem Biophys. 1972, 150:183-190.

Triscari J, Sullivan A. Comparative effects of (-)-hydroxycitrate and (+)-allo-hydroxycitrate on acetyl CoA carboxylase and fatty acid and cholesterol synthesis in vivo. Lipids 1977, 12:357-363.

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