Since it is not an essential nutrient, HCA is not associated with a deficiency state.
How much is usually taken?
Optimal amounts of HCA remain unknown. Although dieters sometimes take 500 mg of HCA three times per day (before each meal), this amount is far below the levels used in animal research (figured on a per-pound body weight basis). The effect of HCA is enhanced when used in conjunction with a low-fat diet, because HCA does nothing to reduce the caloric effects of dietary fat. Since HCA's mechanism of action seems to be at least partially a blockade of conversion of simple sugars into fats,13 it is likely to work best in conjunction with a high simple sugar diet. HCA may therefore be less useful if it only offsets the negative effects of an otherwise unhealthy diet. High-fiber diets may impair absorption of HCA as noted above. HCA supplements are available in many forms, including tablets, capsules, powders, snack bars, and chewing gum.
Are there any side effects or interactions?
HCA has not been linked to any adverse effects. At the time of writing, there were no well-known drug interactions with Hydroxycitric Acid.
(-)-hydroxycitric acid(HCA) is a compound found in Garcinia cambogia, a type of fruit. HCA has a chemical structure similar to that of citric acid (the primary acid in citrus fruits). Preliminary research in the laboratory and in animal research, suggests that HCA may be a useful weight loss aid. HCA has been demonstrated in the laboratory (but not yet in trials with people) to reduce the conversion of carbohydrates into stored fat by inhibiting certain enzyme processes. Animal research indicates that HCA suppresses appetite and induces weight loss.One case report found that eating 1 gram of the fruit containing HCA before each meal resulted in the loss of 1 pound per day.
HCA (hydroxycitric acid) is a close relative of citric acid, the agent that gives citrus fruits their characteristic tart flavor. HCA is obtained as a 50% standardized extract of Garcinia cambogia, a small fruit from southern India, where it has been used for centuries as a food preservative, flavoring agent and digestive aid. Studies show that HCA can curb appetite, reduce food intake and inhibit the production of fats and cholesterol.
HCA exerts its anti-obesity effects through its inhibition of the enzyme ATP citrate lyase, playing a critical role in energy storage, and affecting the appetite. Appetite comes from feedback signals between the stomach and brain, making you feel hungry. When you eat, your food is reduced to the simple sugar glucose, which is then converted into energy. When calorie intake exceeds the body's energy needs, the excess glucose is converted into glycogen, which is stored in the liver and muscles for future conversion into energy. Weight gain occurs after the body's capacity for glycogen storage is reached. At this point, glucose from excessive calorie intake is converted into acetyl coenzyme A via a metabolic pathway involving ATP-citrate lyase and then into fat molecules which are stored in fat cells. HCA inhibits this process by binding to ATP-citrate lyase to reduce the production of acetyl coenzyme A, reducing the body's production of fat and cholesterol.
HCA also promotes stable weight loss - what you lose stays off. In a 1994 Danish study, 28 subjects took 750 mg. of HCA and 125 of chromium for six weeks. Over this time period, the subjects lost an average of 8.21 pounds (3.73 kg). The last two weeks of the study were conducted without the HCA. During this period, there was further weight loss of 1.7 pounds (0.8 kg). No weight gain was seen.
In a 1997 study, subjects took 2.6 grams (2600 mg.) of HCA per day for two months as part of a 1200 calorie-per-day, low-fat diet and exercise program. After the two months, the subjects continued taking the HCA for another year, but with no food restrictions. At the end of the year and two months, the subjects had lost 15% of their original weight, with an average weight loss of 30.4 pounds (13.8 kg).
- When we over consume carbohydrates, we have an over abundance of a substance known as acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl CoA).
- Acetyl CoA cannot pass out of the mitochondrion, whiich is the cell's "energy plant." Because of this, the body transforms acetyl CoA into something called citrate. Citrate does pass out of the mitochondrion and into the cell cytosol, which is the fluid section of the cell.
- Here, the enzyme ATP citrate lyase separates the citrate into two components, acetyl CoA and oxaloacetate.
- The acetyl CoA is then converted into a substance known as malonyl coenzyme A (malonyl CoA).
- Malonyl CoAis the "base" from which fatty acids (and thus fat) and cholesterol are formed from carbohydrates. You can see that if malonyl CoA is formed, the body is able to produce fat (and cholesterol). Malonyl CoA also blocks the activity of the enzyme carnitine acyltransferase. This enzyme transports existing fats back into the mitrochondrion where they can be burned. When malonyl CoA blocks its activity, it is harder to burn fat (and lose weight). We could say that when the body creates fat (due to malonyl CoA), it does not burn fat (because malonyl CoA does not let fat be transported to the mitochondrion).
- Research indicates that HCA may work by blocking ATP citrate lyase from separating Acetyl CoA from citrate. If there is no acetyl CoA, it cannot be converted into malonyl CoA. If there is no malonyl CoA, fats and cholesterol cannot be easily created.
- Just as importantly, the absence of malonyl CoA means that carnitine acyltranferase can transport existing fat into the mitochondrion where fats can be more easily burned. You might say that if the body does not create fat (there is no malonyl CoA to form fatty acids), it can burn fat (there is no malonyl CoA to prevent fat from being transported to the mitochondrion.
Safety and mechanism of appetite suppression by a novel hydroxycitric acid extract (HCA-SX).:
Mol Cell Biochem. 2002 Sep;238(1-2):89-103.Ohia SE, Opere CA, LeDay AM, Bagchi M, Bagchi D, Stohs SJ.Department of Pharmacy Sciences, Creighton University School of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions, Omaha, NE 68178, USA. seohia@creighton.edu
A growing body of evidence demonstrates the efficacy of Garcinia cambogia-derived natural (-)-hydroxycitric acid (HCA) in weight management by curbing appetite and inhibiting body fat biosynthesis. However, the exact mechanism of action of this novel phytopharmaceutical has yet to be fully understood. In a previous study, we showed that in the rat brain cortex a novel HCA extract (HCA-SX, Super CitriMax) increases the release/availability of radiolabeled 5-hydroxytryptamine or serotonin ([3H]-5-HT), a neurotransmitter implicated in the regulation of eating behavior and appetite control. The aim of the present study was 2-fold: (a) to determine the effect of HCA-SX on 5-HT uptake in rat brain cortex in vitro; and (b) to evaluate the safety of HCA-SX in vivo. Isolated rat brain cortex slices were incubated in oxygenated Krebs solution for 20 min and transferred to buffer solutions containing [3H]-5-HT for different time intervals. In some experiments, tissues were exposed to HCA-SX (10 microM - 1 mM) and the serotonin receptor reuptake inhibitors (SRRI) fluoxetine (100 microM) plus clomipramine (10 microM). Uptake of [3H]-5-HT was expressed as d.p.m./mg wet weight. A time-dependent uptake of [3H]-5-HT occurred in cortical slices reaching a maximum at 60 min. HCA-SX, and fluoxetine plus clomipramine inhibited the time-dependent uptake of [3H]-5-HT. At 90 min, HCA-SX (300 microM) caused a 20% decrease, whereas fluoxetine plus clomipramine inhibited [3H]-5-HT uptake by 30%. In safety studies, acute oral toxicity, acute dermal toxicity, primary dermal irritation and primary eye irritation, were conducted in animals using various doses of HCA-SX. Results indicate that the LD50 of HCA-SX is greater than 5,000 mg/kg when administered once orally via gastric intubation to fasted male and female Albino rats. No gross toxicological findings were observed under the experimental conditions. Taken together, these in vivo toxicological studies demonstrate that HCA-SX is a safe, natural supplement under the conditions it was tested. Furthermore, HCA-SX can inhibit [3H]-5-HT uptake (and also increase 5-HT availability) in isolated rat brain cortical slices in a manner similar to that of SRRIs, and thus may prove beneficial in controlling appetite, as well as treatment of depression, insomnia, migraine headaches and other serotonin-deficient conditions.
