Supplement analysis backed by scientific evidence · PT

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Limited evidenceWeight management

Garcinia Cambogia

The best-designed trial of Garcinia cambogia — a 135-person randomised study published in JAMA — found no weight or fat loss beyond placebo. Pooled analyses squeeze out under 1 kg of difference, and the ingredient has a documented signal for severe liver injury. Not worth taking.

What the science says

  • Weight loss is negligible Limited evidence

    A meta-analysis of 9 RCTs found a difference of just -0.88 kg (95% CI -1.75 to -0.00) favouring hydroxycitric acid — statistically borderline and clinically irrelevant. The authors concluded the magnitude was small and the clinical relevance uncertain, and that future trials needed to be more rigorous.

  • The best trial was negative Limited evidence

    A 12-week randomised, placebo-controlled trial in 135 overweight adults using 1,500 mg/day of hydroxycitric acid found weight loss of 3.2 kg on active treatment versus 4.1 kg on placebo (p = 0.14) — numerically worse than placebo — with no difference in body fat loss. This remains the largest and best-controlled test of the ingredient.

  • The mechanism does not survive translation Limited evidence

    Hydroxycitric acid inhibits ATP-citrate lyase and suppresses de novo lipogenesis in rodents, but human de novo lipogenesis contributes only a small fraction of stored fat on typical Western diets, and the rodent doses far exceed what supplements deliver. Human appetite and fat-oxidation data are inconsistent.

  • Effects on blood lipids Limited evidence

    Meta-analyses of lipid outcomes report small and inconsistent changes across a handful of short, heterogeneous trials. Nothing here supports taking Garcinia for cardiovascular risk.

Dosage & safety

Studied doseTrials have used 1,000-2,800 mg/day of Garcinia extract providing roughly 900-1,500 mg/day of hydroxycitric acid, taken 30-60 minutes before meals, for 8-12 weeks. Given the efficacy data, there is no dose we would recommend.
SafetyHepatotoxicity is the decisive concern. Case reports document acute liver injury and fulminant hepatic failure requiring liver transplantation in previously healthy users of Garcinia cambogia products, and the FDA recalled Garcinia-containing Hydroxycut formulations in 2009 after reports of severe liver injury. Serotonergic effects have also been reported, including mania and serotonin-syndrome-like presentations in people taking SSRIs or other serotonergic drugs. Other effects include nausea, gastrointestinal discomfort and headache, with gastrointestinal adverse events roughly twice as common as placebo in one trial. Avoid entirely in liver disease, pregnancy and breastfeeding, and in anyone on antidepressants, statins or diabetes medication. Several national regulators have issued consumer warnings about Garcinia-containing weight-loss products.

Scientific references

Where to buy

Nature's Craft, Garcinia Cambogia, 60 Capsules

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