Does Garcinia Cambogia Really Make You Lose Weight? An Analysis of Dr. Oz’s Miracle Fat-Busting Claim Lisa Miller

What is Garcinia Cambogia? Small, pumpkin-shaped fruit, native to Indonesia. Also grown across Asia and Africa Used in other cultures in an effort to make food more filling The natural extract of this plant is hydroxycitric acid (HCA) Supposedly helps to block fat and suppress appetite. Increases serotonin levels. “…HCA improves mood and suppresses the drive to react to stressful situations with food. As you eat less, your body senses this and it releases stored fat in your fat cells” (Garcinia Cambogia (HCA): Is This Right for You?, 2012).

The Claim No Exercise, No Diet, No Effort!  On average one can lose about 4lbs. per month without changing diet/exercise routing  Increases weight loss by 2-3 times that of what they’d have with diet and exercise alone  Normally would lose about 4lbs. in a month  Inhibits production of fat in the body “when you aren’t making fat, you’re burning it”  Can lose fat without losing muscle  Good for emotional eaters  Suppresses appetite

Evaluation of the Claim The Critical Thinker’s Toolkit We must evaluate: Dr. Oz’s Credibility Is Dr. Oz’s logic valid and sound? Did Dr. Oz utilize appropriate scientific observation? Are there other alternative explanations that would promote weight loss in participants?

Dr. Oz’s Credibility Vice-Chair and Professor of Surgery at Columbia University. Directs the Cardiovascular Institute and Complementary Medicine Program at New York Presbyterian Hospital Skilled cardiac surgeon-over 100 heart surgeries Starred on Oprah for 5 years Hosts own television show-Emmy awards Over 400 publications 7 New York Times Best Selling books Time Magazines “Most Influential People”

Red Flags Not a nutritionist! Best selling books are not in his area of expertise Media Awards say nothing of one’s medical knowledge Buzz Words “amazing”; “brand new research”; “revolutionary fat- buster”; and “most exciting breakthrough in natural weight loss to date” Mask research inconsistencies/lack of support May be promoting medical solutions that do not work!

Is Logic Valid and Sound? Serotonin and cortisol make you lose weight They deal with mood, stress, and hunger Less stressed/emotional=less hungry *Logic is valid. Research has supported this. You can lose significant amounts of weight without changing diet or exercise regimen Ex. big mac diet *Logic not valid. Can’t be incredibly unhealthy and expect to lose weight

Proper Scientific Evaluation? Dr. Oz never conducted his own experiment Brought a doctor on the show to confirm his claim Dr. Oz hides behind his sales pitch “miracle weight loss”’; “revolutionary fat-buster”

Other Research Says… Does not produce any significant weight loss in participants (Kim et al., 2011). In a 12-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, researchers also concluded that “body weight and fat mass change during the 12-week study period did not differ significantly between placebo and treatment groups” (Heymsfield, 1998). In one study the participants who were treated with a placebo lost more weight than those who actually received Garcinia Cambogia extract.

Issues with Studies Studies that support Garcinia Cambogia claim also: Used other substances along with Garcinia Cambogia during the study Make participants have low-fat diet during study There is no way to tell if Garcinia Cambogia or these confounding variables are the source of weight loss in participants

Conclusion Legitimate research does not support the claim that Garcinia Cambogia produces significant weight loss, especially without changing one’s diet or exercise regimen Dr. Oz’s claims are based on pseudoscientific observation and not on actual positive results

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