Reviewing a “fat loss” supplement as requested by one of my relatives.
From the supplement’s website itself.
“One of the unique features of Garcinia Cambogia is its ability to burn off carbohydrates before they convert into fat. Garcinia Cambogia has been shown to naturally promote weight loss by reducing the amounts of an enzyme called citrate lyase, which is primarily responsible for turning carbohydrates into fat that is accumulated in your body. Slowing down the production of this enzyme results in burning off the excess carbohydrates that would otherwise turn into fat. But this is far from being the only advantage of this unique product.”
Summary: The supplement supposedly inhibits the conversion of consumed carbohydrates to fat.
Personal review:
A recap on two pathways of how fat is stored in our body.
1) Through the consumption of fats in our diet
2) Through de novo lipogenesis (DNL), where carbs are converted to fats (what the supplement intends to prevent)
However, research studies in human trials showed that DNL only takes place under extreme diet conditions. For DNL to occur, an individual has to consume a huge amount of carbs daily (80-85% of his daily calorie intake) and consistently for a few days. For a 70kg male, this translates to about 1800-1900 cals from carbs. 1900 cals from carbs is about 1.9kg of white rice! 1.9kg of white rice daily for a few days. An average individual would not hit that level of carb intake.
Establishing a sustainable and nutrient dense yet calorie deficit diet is a more realistic approach to #fatloss. I’d be wary of any supplements which has similar gimmicky “Burns fat fast!” slogans on it.
