• Helps to reduce body weight
• Helps to burn the excess body fat
• Inhibits conversion of excess calorie into fat
• Helps to prevent food cravings by suppressing appetite
  
  

Minimal physical activities and consumption of abundant calorie rich foods are triggering rapid weight gain. It is estimated that roughly one-third of the global adult population is overweight. The incidence of obesity is also rising among children. Childhood obesity is a major public health concern. Obesity has a severe long-term consequence. It is one of the leading causes of several preventable health disorders.

When we eat more than the total calorie needed by the body, the excess calories are converted into fat cells. In the early stage, as the unused calories are converted into fats, the fat cells expand in size to store the excess calories. When the fat cell reaches its maximum size, it could not expand further. To accommodate the extra fats, new fat cells develop. Hence, increase in the size and numbers of fat cells lead to obesity.

Obesity might run in families. Genetics might play a role in triggering obesity. Children of one or both obese parents have a greater risk of becoming obese than offspring of parents with normal body weight. Similar lifestyle in a family might influence the calorie intake and level of physical activities in a family.

Some people overeat to beat depression, boredom, hopelessness and anger. However, this does not mean that every obese or overweight person suffers from emotional disorders.

Women, compared with men, have a greater risk of gaining excess body weight. The greater muscle content in the body of men boosts their metabolism rate, which helps them to burn more calories naturally. The metabolism rate also tends to slow down with age. Hormonal changes that occur in the middle age might trigger weight gain. As we age, we tend to lose muscle mass, which is often compensated by increase in body fat.

Weight gain is also linked to certain medical conditions such as hypothyroidism, Cushing syndrome and polycystic ovarian syndrome. Prolonged intake of antidepressants, steroids and oral contraceptive pills tend to push up the body weight.

Besides your body mass, the distribution of fats in your body plays a key role in determining the risks of developing obesity-induced health disorders. Accumulation of excess fat in the abdomen is especially harmful for the health. Abdominal fat is linked to higher risk of cardiovascular problems, heart attack, stroke, insulin resistance diabetes, high blood pressure, fatty liver and certain cancers.

Garcinia cambogia plant is a native to India and South East Asia. The small pumpkin-shaped fruit of Garcinia cambogia is used in South Asian cuisines. The yellow, reddish or purple colored rinds of the fruit contain powerful anti-obesity phytochemicals. For centuries, the fruit was recommended by folk healers and Ayruvedic medicine practitioners for suppressing appetite and for aiding weight loss. The fruit helps to make you feel full easily.

Hydroxycitric acid, the main active component present in the rinds of the Garcinia cambogia fruit, prevents weight gain by inhibiting synthesis of fatty acids. It impairs activities of the enzyme ATP citrate lyase that converts the unspent calories into fats. Consumption of Carcinia cambogia foods helps to suppress appetite and facilitates weight loss. (Jena BS, Jayaprakasha GK, Singh RP, Sakariah KK. “Chemistry and biochemistry of (-)-hydroxycitric acid from Garcinia.” J Agric Food Chem. 2002 Jan 2;50(1):10-22).

In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study, a Purdue University study team found, that mildly overweight females on a low calorie diet who took 400mg of Garcinia cambogia, 30 to 60 minutes before each meal, were able to lose more body weight than participants who took placebo. (Mattes RD, Bormann L. “Effects of (-)(-)hydroxycitric acid on appetite variables.” Physiol Behav. 2000 Oct 1-15;71(1-2):87-94).

Unlike several anti-obesity drugs or supplements, intake of Garcinia cambogia is not associated with adverse side effects. Studies have revealed that hydroxycitric acid, the main anti-obesity agent in Garcinia cambogia stimulates fat loss without modulating the normal functions of the central nervous system. Experimental studies did not reveal any adverse effect of the active anti-obesity constituent in Garcinia cambogia on the major organs. (Downs BW, Bagchi M, Subbaraju GV, Shara MA, Preuss, HG, Bagchi D. “Bioefficacy of a novel calcium-potassium salt of (-)(-)hydroxycitric acid.” Mutat Res. 2005 Nov 11,579(1-2):149-62. Shara M, Ohia SE, Schmidt RE, Yasmin T, Zardetto-Smith, Kincaid A, Bagchi M, Chatterjee A, Bagchi D, Stohs SJ. “Physico-chemical properties of a novel (-)-hydroxycitric acid extract and its effect on body weight, selected organs weight, hepatic lipid peroxidation and DNA fragmentation, hematology and clinical chemistry, and histopathological changes over a period of 90 days.” Mol Cell Biochem. 2004 May;260(1-2):171-86 ).

Garcinia’s effect is to promote the body’s ability to turnover supply of carbohydrates into fat and augment calorie-burning. It is well-known since ancionet times to subdue appetite, slowing down the process of converting of excess carbohydrates into fat. In this process, it will build additional stores of body energy (glucose). Garcinia has been found helpful by reserachers to inhibit fat storage and is active as an appetite suppressant, burning fat via a process called as thermo-genesis. Later on, the lower efficiently compounds glucose and builds up glycogen stores and a result of that there will be less hunger, a reduction in fat and experience of more energy.

Garcinia indica (dried rind is locally called as ‘kokam’) is an Indian spice used in many parts of the country for making several vegetarian and non-vegetarian ‘curry’ preparations, including the popular ‘Daal’. The fruits are steeped in sugar syrup to make ‘amrutkokam’, a healthy soft drink to relieve sunstroke, which is popular during summer (3, 4 and 5)

Garcinia is traditional home remedy useful treating flatulence, heat strokes and infections (4).

One of the ingredients of kokam, hydroxyl-citric acid (HCA), has been patented for use as a hypo-cholesterolaemic agent. HCA is a potential anti-obesity agent. It helps in suppressing fatty acid synthesis, lipogenesis, and food intake and induces weight loss (6).

Garcinol, a polyisoprenylated benzophenone purified from Garnicia indica fruit rind, displays antioxidant, anti-cancer and anti-ulcer properties (7, 8).

Aside from HCA and garcinol, kokam contains other compounds with potential anti-oxidant properties. These include citric acid, malic acid, polyphenols, carbohydrates (1, 2) anthocyanin pigments and ascorbic acid (3)

(1) Cadenas, E. and Packer, L. (eds), Hand Book of Antioxidants, Plenum, New York, 1996.

(2) Yoshikawa, T. et al. (eds), Free Radicals in Chemistry, Biology and Medicine, OICA International, London, 2000.

(3) Peter, K. V., Handbook of Herbs and Spices, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, USA, 2001.

(4) Kirtikar, K. R. and Basu, B. D., Indian Medicinal Plants, Vol. I (eds Blatter, E. et al.), Allahabad, India, 1984.

(5) Drury, H., T he Useful Plants of India, Allied Book Centre, Dehradun, 1991.

(6) Jena, B. S., Jayaprakasha, G. K., Singh, R. P. and Sakariah, K. K.,Chemistry and biochemistry of (–)-hydroxycitric acid from Garcinia. J. Agric. Food Chem., 2002, 50, 10–22.

(7) Yamaguchi, F., Ariga, T., Yoshimura, Y. and Nakazawa, H., Anti-oxidative and anti-glycation activity of garcinol from Garcinia indica fruit rind. J. Agric. Food Chem., 2000, 48, 180–185.

(8) Selvi, A. T., Joseph, G. S. and Jayaprakasha, G. K., Inhibition of growth and aflatoxin production in Aspergillus flavus by Garcinia indica extract and its anti-oxidant activity. Food Microbiol, 2003, 20, 455–460.

There are many therapeutic effects of the Garcinia fruit that have been described in traditional medicine based on Ayurvedic science. This includes its usefulness as an infusion, in skin ailments such as rashes caused by allergies; treatment of burns scalds and chaffed skin.

Garcinia is also been practiced to relieve heat or sun-stroke; as effective remedy for dysentery and mucous diarrhea; as an appetite suppressant and a good liver tonic. The herb is also used to improve digestion and to allay thirst as a cardio-tonic and for bleeding, piles, dysentery, tumors and heart problems.

Garcinia indica is a slender evergreen tree with dropping branches and 5-8 large seeds. The fruit has a noticeable flavor and a sweetish sour taste. Its dried form called Kokam contains 10% malic acid and a little tartaric or citric acid. It is therefore, used as a garnish to give a sour taste to curries and also to prepare cooling syrups during the summer months. Cambojin, garcinol, isogarcinol, Hydroxy Citric Acid and camboginol were also identified from the fruit.