Garcinia atroviridis Affects Body Weight, Fat

THAILANDWater soluble calcium hydroxycitrate (HCA), a derivative of Garcinia atroviridis (a relative of G. mangostana), was effective in weight management on a short-term basis (Asia Pac J Clin Nutr, 16: 1; March, ahead of print, 2007). Fifty obese women with a body mass index (BMI) of more than 25 kg were divided into two groups: one (with a mean age of 40 years) received HCA (as G. atroviridis); the second group (mean age of 35.6 years) received placebo. Both groups were asked to maintain a diet of 1,000 calories daily throughout the two-month study.
The mean baseline BMIs of group one and two were 27.5±0.2 kg.m-2 and 26.7±0.5 kg.m-2, respectively. Group one lost significantly more weight (2.8 kg vs. 1.4 kg, p<0.05) and at a greater rate than the second group. The decrease in body weight was due to a loss of fat storage as evidenced by a significant decrease in skin fold thickness in the triceps.