Month: March 2019

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Weight Loss Products

Kim Kardashian & Melissa McCarthy Use Garcinia Cambogia Diet Supplement: Does It Boost Weight Loss?

Kim Kardashian and Melissa McCarthy are known as celebrity weight loss winners. Kardashian and McCarthy shed a combined 145 pounds on ketogenic diets and maintained their weight loss success, as the Inquisitr reported. But the two apparently have something in common beyond those keto diets.

To boost her metabolism, Melissa used a diet supplement. McCarthy consumed garcinia cambogia with each meal, according to Foods For Better Health. Melissa used the supplement with each meal on her high fat, low carb ketogenic diet.

Kim Kardashian Hypes Diet Shakes For Weight Loss

This week, Kardashian revealed that she uses a product containing the same diet supplement. Turning to Instagram, Kim shared that she has faced challenges staying on her diet and exercising during the holiday season, reported Allure.

“These meal replacement shakes are so good and it’s helping me get my tummy back to flat in the new year.”

Nutritionist Keri Gans talked with the magazine about whether paying $71.20 for the shake’s four-week program is worth it. Dieters on the program are instructed to replace one to two meals a day with the Shake It Baby drinks hyped by Kardashian.

Garcinia Cambogia (HCA) Fans Claim Supplement Burns Fat Faster, Cuts Appetite

What’s in those shakes that make them so expensive? Each product provides 20 grams of plant-based protein, along with an ingredient called Super CitriMax. The company claims that the ingredient is the key to the Shake It Baby program touted by Kim, making the shakes three times “more effective than diet and exercise alone.”

The main ingredient in Super CitriMax is garcinia cambogia, used by McCarthy to help her lose 75 pounds. This fruit contains hydroxycitric acid (HCA).

“HCA fans say the compound boosts fat-burning and reduces appetite.”

As to how effective garcinia cambogia actually is when compared to a placebo, the publication warns that no large-scale trials exist to prove or disprove the benefits for weight loss. However, there has been some research.

Diet Supplement Research On Fat-Burning Benefits

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health is cautious about the claims that the diet supplements boost weight loss.

“There’s no convincing evidence that garcinia cambogia will help you lose weight or control cholesterol,” states the center.

However, a Georgetown University study of 60 people indicated that garcinia cambogia might help with weight loss. Gans contends that the study, along with other research, is still in the preliminary stages.

“Perhaps there is preliminary research that suggests effectiveness, but not conclusive evidence.”

With that warning, Gans also acknowledges that dieters who use products such as the Kardashian-recommended Shake It Baby can lose weight. But the nutritionist believes that weight loss resulting from such programs is more apt to be due to factors other than the garcinia cambogia used by Melissa McCarthy, as well as Kim.

Melissa McCarthy lost 75 pounds using a ketogenic diet and a weight loss supplement.
Melissa McCarthy lost 75 pounds using a ketogenic diet and a weight loss supplement.Featured image credit: Chris PizzelloInvision/AP Images

Diet Supplements Won’t Cancel Out Pizza, Fries, And Cheeseburgers

Gans feels that it all comes down to the familiar advice to dieters to eat less, exercise more to lose weight. Although the ingredients listed in Kim’s shake product don’t seem to be harmful, the nutritionist warned dieters that eating all they want and then drinking a shake won’t work for weight loss.

“It’s not like somebody can continue eating a cheeseburger, and fries, and pizza…[then] pop this [diet supplement] and expect to lose weight.”

As to why diet shakes can work for weight loss, Gans points out that the calories typically add up to less than dieters normally eat. One of Kardashian’s meal replacement shakes contains only 130 calories.

Best Diet For Weight Loss

Medscape reported on an analysis of nine clinical trials studying garcinia extract (HCA) for weight loss. It offered some hope, although more research remains to be done to determine if the weight loss lasts and is safe.

“The meta-analysis revealed a small yet statistically significant difference in weight loss in favor of HCA over placebo.”

However, the researchers cautioned that there is not enough research to recommend these products for weight loss at this time. Some dieters have experienced adverse effects.

In terms of which diet is the best for weight loss, a recent study showed that the ketogenic diets used by McCarthy and Kardashian burn fat 10 times faster. Searches for keto weight loss plans quadrupled in the past year, as the Inquisitr reported.

Gans recommends taking a long-term approach to weight loss with the focus on developing healthy eating habits. She advises against spending money on products that promise quick results.

“People should save their money for fruits and vegetables. It really is that simple,” summed up the nutritionist.

As for Kim Kardashian’s meal replacement shake and Melissa McCarthy’s diet supplement, Gans suggests that dieters put the focus on eating unprocessed foods such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. She urges dieters to consume foods “needed for a healthy body” to feel “great.”

However, experts on the ketogenic diet used by Kim and Melissa recommend a different approach. As the Inquisitr reported, following Kardashian’s and McCarthy’s keto weight loss plan requires boosting fat intake, cutting carbohydrates and eating a moderate amount of protein. The body then goes into a state of metabolic ketosis that boosts fat-burning. Beyonce used this diet to lose 30 pounds in three weeks.

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Weight Loss Products

Dr Oz sued for weight loss supplement Garcinia Cambogia

Dr Oz sued for weight loss supplement he claimed was a ‘revolutionary fat buster with no exercise, no diet, no effort’  

  • Class action lawsuit claims ‘all credible scientific evidence’ proves Garcinia Cambogia does not work 
  • Oz first promoted it on his show in 2013 and interviewed a woman who said it helped her lose 10lb in four months 
  • He did not advertise a specific brand but the lawsuit singles out supplement seller Labrada, which calls it a ‘fat loss aid’ 
  • In 2014 Oz appeared before a congressional hearing for promoting Garcinia Cambogia and other products as ‘miracle pills’
  • Oz said he recognized they didn’t have ‘scientific muster to present as fact’

By

Anneta Konstantinides For Dailymail.com

TMZ. 

The lawsuit has specifically singled out supplement seller Labrada, as well as Dr. Oz and Harpo Productions, and is seeking refunds for consumers as well as damages. 

Labrada advertises Garcinia Cambogia as a ‘fat loss aid’, explaining that the Hydroxycitric Acid isolated from the fruit helps control cravings and prevents body fat from being made. 

Although the site does not specifically advertise Dr Oz’s endorsement, a number of the reviews mention that they decided to try the product after it was mentioned on his show. 

A representative for The Dr Oz Show has since said the lawsuit is an attack on free speech. 

‘As we have always explained to our viewers, The Dr Oz Show does not sell these products nor does he have any financial ties to these companies,’ they told TMZ. 

This isn’t the first time Garcinia Cambogia has landed Dr Oz in hot water. 

Garcinia Cambogia is a tropical fruit that has been claimed to aid weight loss by burning fat quicker and curbing appetite thanks to the Hydroxycitric Acid that is isolated from the fruit (pictured) 

Garcinia Cambogia is a tropical fruit that has been claimed to aid weight loss by burning fat quicker and curbing appetite thanks to the Hydroxycitric Acid that is isolated from the fruit (pictured) 

Dr Oz has never specifically advertised a specific supplement brand, but his image is often used to help sales and the lawsuit claims sales of supplements skyrocketed after his show

Although Dr Oz has never specifically advertised a specific supplement brand, his image is often used to help sales and the lawsuit claims sales of supplements containing Garcinia Cambogia skyrocketed after his show 

In 2014 Oz, a cardiothoracic surgeon whose television career first began on The Oprah Winfrey Show, appeared before a congressional hearing for praising Garcinia Cambogia, green coffee extract and raspberry ketone as weight-loss aids.

Democratic Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill, the chairman of the Senate’s consumer protection panel, scolded Oz for promoting magic pills.

‘I get that you do a lot of good on your show,’ she said during the hearing. ‘But I don’t get why you need to say this stuff because you know it’s not true. When you have this amazing megaphone, why would you cheapen your show?’ 

‘The scientific community is almost monolithic against you in terms of the efficacy of the three products you called miracles,’ she continued.

Multiple studies have concluded that Garcinia Cambioga did not noticeably help people lose weight any more than a placebo pill. 

A 2013 study found that although Garcinia extract was safe to use, its effectiveness against obesity remained unproven in ‘larger-scale and longer-term clinical trials’.  

Oz agreed that his language about the supplements had been ‘flowery’ but said he believes the products can be short-term crutches and that he even gives them to his family. 

In 2015, a group of ten doctors sent a letter to Columbia University urging that Oz lose his faculty institution at the prestigious Ivy League university, citing his promotion of 'miracle' weight-loss aids on his show

Last year a group of ten doctors sent a letter to Columbia University urging that Oz lose his faculty institution at the prestigious Ivy League university, citing his promotion of ‘miracle’ weight-loss aids on his show 

‘I recognize they don’t have the scientific muster to present as fact but nevertheless I would give my audience the advice I give my family all the time,’ he said.

Oz reiterated that he never endorsed specific supplements and said he would publish a list of specific products he believed would help Americans lose weight. 

Last year a group of ten doctors sent a letter to Columbia University urging that Oz lose his faculty institution at the prestigious Ivy League university, citing his promotion of ‘miracle’ weight-loss aids.

‘Dr. Oz has repeatedly shown disdain for science and for evidence-based medicine,’ the letter read. 

It added that Oz had ‘misled and endangered’ the public by ‘promoting quack treatments and cures in the interest of personal financial gain’. 

The university responded that it upheld Oz’s right to ‘freedom of expression’ and that he would not be removed from the faculty. 


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Weight Loss Products

The truth about Garcinia and weight loss

garcinia cambogia weight lossgarcinia cambogia weight loss
Garcinia Cambogia fruit. Source: Pixabay ~ 
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We are all aware of the fact that slimming is a mega-dollar industry. With millions, if not billions of people of all ages struggling to lose weight, and very few pharmaceutically effective medications available to assist them, the desperate public will literally clutch at straws. 

Every week sees the launch of a new “miracle” diet pill or potion and a “surefire” diet guaranteed to help believers shed kilos like magic.

Recently Garcinia cambogia became the flavour of the year. If you search the internet for information on this exotic fruit extract you will be assured that this is finally the miracle we have all been waiting for, which will produce dramatic weight loss. Endorsements by various TV personalities and other luminaries have added to the allure of Garcinia cambogia slimming products.

According to a recent local study from the  Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) “this small fruit, reminiscent of a pumpkin in appearance, is currently most popularly used and widely advertised as a weight-loss supplement”. 

The good side

But just how effective is this plant for shedding the kilos? 

The comprehensive overview from TUT suggests that studies have shown that “the extracts as well as (-)-hydroxycitric acid (HCA), a main organic acid component of the fruit rind, exhibited anti-obesity activity”. It also regulates the serotonin levels related to satiety, leading to reduced food intake. 

“According to clinical trial reports, Garcinia extracts were beneficial to obese individuals in many cases. In addition, studies on the toxicity and observations during clinical trials indicate that Garcinia is safe to use. Most of the negative reports have been related to cases where multi ingredient formulations were consumed and the effect could not be attributed to a specific ingredient.”

The research does, however, caution against an increase in serotonin, especially in people who take medicines that are already increasing serotonin levels, such as SSRIs. Research into these effects has not been conducted. 

“Moreover, regulatory authorities should provide and enforce legislation requiring the compulsory basic safety demonstration of supplements pre-marketing and develop post-marketing surveillance systems,” the study concluded. 

The bad side

Dr Ingrid van Heerden, a registered dietitian, is of opinion that we should be cautious of Garcinia, since it has not undergone rigorous testing. What follows is reviewed information from her pen, including her final verdict:

Often, once a person who wants, or needs to lose weight, is hooked on the promise of a slim, sexy figure, they are sucked into the deception. If the drops, wafers or powders don’t work, well then it is the fault of the user who did not adhere to one or other often impossible instruction such as “stick to a 500 kcal/day diet” or “drink 5 litres of water a day”, never that of the diet pill. 

When eventually science and legislation catch up with the manufacturers, they calmly take product A off the market, change their formulation slightly, change the name to product B, and then blithely sell product B using the same advertising gambits as before, raking in the money and pulling the wool over everyone’s eyes all over again.

In keeping with the ever-changing slimming product ranges, there are what one can call “ingredients of the year” (sometimes an ingredient lasts for only three to six months, but some have longer life spans, and then of course some are resurrected every two to three years).

We have had apple cider vinegar (which has made many a comeback over the years), green tea (which has earned some merit in scientific studies), hoodia (which just does not manage to produce the research results that will make it a front-runner), willow bark (or salicylic acid which is good for aches and pains but not as efficacious for slimming), and good old caffeine (which has a diuretic effect thus helping you lose weight until you replenish the water in your body, and also a stimulant effect when taken in large quantities that can be potentially dangerous), to name but a few.

While it is perfectly possible that more extensive and well controlled scientific studies will reveal that an extract of Garcinia cambogia which contains a chemical called hydroxycitric acid (HCA) will assist weight loss, we are at present not yet sure how this tamarind or brindall berry or brindleberry or Garcinia gummi-gutta works, what side-effects it may or may not have and what dosage is required to achieve really significant weight loss.

But I hear you say: “For once we have a number of scientific studies that were carried out with Garcinia cambogia, so what’s the problem?”

Well some of the studies did not show any weight loss differences between patients who took Garcinia pills and those who took dummy pills, while other studies did show differences in weight loss with the subjects taking pills containing Garcinia losing slightly more weight than those that did not (Marquez et al, 2012).

Some of these weight loss differences were not exactly exciting either, so we can’t say for sure that Garcinia cambogia does promote weight loss. It also seems likely that this is not the wonder pill it is made out to be.

In addition, many of the studies conducted to date have been flawed (Critchley, 2013) . What that means is for example that in one study the control and experimental subjects were not well matched (i.e. they did not have the same starting weight, age, percentage of body fat etc.), while in other studies too few subjects were used for the results to be significant.

For the results of studies to be plausible one has to compare “apples with apples” (i.e. well-matched subjects and controls) and you need more than just a handful of subjects to produce the same result.

On the positive side, we can say that there is some evidence that Garcinia cambogia products may aid weight loss over a period of 12 weeks. No studies have been conducted for longer periods as yet (Marquez et al, 2012), which is also regarded as a drawback.

Safety issues

There is also at present an argument about the safety of pills containing Garcinia cambogia – one group of researchers slates the pills as dangerous and hepatotoxic (causing liver damage) (Kim et al, 2013), while another group refutes this (Clouatre Preuss, 2013). Marquez and his coworkers (2012) state that “at the doses usually administered, no differences have been reported in terms of side effects or adverse events (those studied) in humans between individuals treated with G. cambogia and controls.”  

Ano Lob (2009), a public health consultant in the United States has published a warning regarding the hepatotoxicity of a weight loss product called “Hydroxycut”, which contains Garcinia cambogia. The author collected case reports of patients who developed liver toxicity associated with the above mentioned weight loss product.

Evidently approximately one million units of this hydroxycitric acid product are sold per year in the USA. The patients who developed hepatotoxicity reported symptoms of fatigue, nausea, vomiting, cramps, fever, chills, abdominal pain, and jaundice.

While the number of hepatotoxicity cases reported were very few, Lob points out that monitoring of adverse events associated with dietary supplements such as these weight loss products is woefully inadequate in America (as is the case in many other countries, including South Africa), with the FDA only receiving about 1% of these negative reports.

According to Lob (2009), the Poison Control Centres in the USA are more likely to receive reports of adverse events associated with dietary supplements but are not equipped to coordinate such findings.

He cites the truly sobering example of a product called “Metabolife 356″ which was sold as a weight loss supplement in America. Lob’s states that the manufacturers received 14 000 reports over a period of five years that documented “serious adverse events associated with their ephedra-containing product” which included heart attacks, strokes, convulsions and fatalities.

The manufacturers did not inform the FDA or any other US government authority of these reports. As astounding as this may sound, manufacturers of dietary supplements are not required to meet any of the specifications that are strictly enforced when it comes to food and pharmaceutical products (medicines), so they can use this “ethical loophole” not to publish reports of negative and harmful events.

Eventually these events came to light and ephedra-containing products for slimming and other uses were banned in the USA.

The implication contain in Lob’s warning is that HCA or Garcinia cambogia extract may also be potentially toxic unless sufficient, reliable evidence to the contrary is made available.

Conclusion

At the present moment, we do not know enough about slimming products that contain Garcinia cambogia extract or HCA to freely recommend its use. I tend to agree with Astell and coworkers (2013) who conducted a systematic review of double blind randomised controlled clinical trials to assess the evidence available on the efficacy of current dietary supplements used to control appetite and/or weight.

These authors concluded that “According to the finding from this systematic review, the evidence is not convincing in demonstrating that most dietary supplements used as appetite suppressants for weight loss in the treatment of obesity are effective and safe.”

While we wait for more extensive and conclusive evidence obtained with larger numbers of well-matched test subjects treated for longer periods with the “gold standard” of double blind randomised controlled clinical trials, rather avoid using any weight-loss supplement that has not been tested thoroughly.

References:
(Astell KJ et al (2013). Plant extracts with appetite suppressing properties for body weight control: a systematic review of double blind randomized controlled clinical trial. Complement Ther Med, 21(4):407-16; Clouatre DL Preuss HG (2013). Hydroxycitric acid does not promote inflammation or liver toxicity. World J Gastoenterol. 19(44):8160-2; Crtichley G (2013). Garcinia cambogia – is it really a miracle weight loss supplement?; Lob A (2009). Hepatotoxicity associated with weight-loss supplements: A case for better post-marketing surveillance. World J Gastoenterol. 15(14):1786-1787; Marquez F et al (2012). Evaluation of the safety and efficacy of hydroxycitric acid or Garcinia cambogia extracts in humans. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr, 52(7):585-94)

Additional reporting by Joshua Carstens