title: Effects of garcinia cambogia (Hydroxycitric Acid) on visceral fat accumulation: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  (-)-Hydroxycitric acid (HCA) is an active ingredient extracted from the rind of the Indian fruit Garcinia cambogia. It inhibits adenosine triphosphate citrate lyase and has been used in the treatment of obesity.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The primary end point of this study was the effects of 12 weeks of G cambogia extract administration on visceral fat accumulation. The secondary end points were body indices (including height, body weight, body mass index [BMI], waist and hip circumference, and waist-hip ratio) and laboratory values (including total cholesterol, triacylglycerol, and free fatty acid).
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was performed according to a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel-group design. Subjects aged 20 to 65 years with a visceral fat area >90 cm(2) were enrolled. Subjects were randomly assigned to receive treatment for 12 weeks with G cambogia (containing 1000 mg of HCA per day) or placebo. At the end of the treatment period, both groups were administered placebo for 4 weeks to assess any rebound effect. Each subject underwent a computed tomography scan at the umbilical level at -2, 0, 12, and 16 weeks.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Forty-four subjects were randomized at baseline, and 39 completed the study (G cambogia group, n = 18; placebo group, n = 21). At 16 weeks, the G cambogia group had significantly reduced visceral, subcutaneous, and total fat areas compared with the placebo group (all indices P<0.001). No severe adverse effect was observed at any time in the test period. There were no significant differences in BMI or body weight at week 12, but there were slight numeric decreases in body weight and BMI in men. There were no signs of a rebound effect from week 12 to week 16.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  G cambogia reduced abdominal fat accumulation in subjects, regardless of sex, who had the visceral fat accumulation type of obesity. No rebound effect was observed. It is therefore expected that G cambogia may be useful for the prevention and reduction of accumulation of visceral fat.
authors.affiliation: Central Research Laboratory, FANCL Corp., Kanagawa, Japan, ; Laboratory of Advanced Animal and Marine Bioresources, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Kohsuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hayamizu
authors.affiliation: Central Research Laboratory, FANCL Corp., Kanagawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuri
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ishii
authors.affiliation: Central Research Laboratory, FANCL Corp., Kanagawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Izuru
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kaneko
authors.affiliation: Central Research Laboratory, FANCL Corp., Kanagawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Manzhen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: Central Research Laboratory, FANCL Corp., Kanagawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Yasuhide
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Okuhara
authors.affiliation: Central Research Laboratory, FANCL Corp., Kanagawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Norihiro
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Shigematsu
authors.affiliation: Food Development Laboratory, Nippon Shinyaku Co., Ltd., Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Hironori
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tomi
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Advanced Animal and Marine Bioresources, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Mitsuhiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Furuse
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Toho University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Gen
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Yoshino
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Teikyo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shimasaki
keywords: Garcinia cambogia; computed tomography scan; hydroxycitric acid; visceral fat accumulation