Tropical Garcinia Review
 |
By CANDICE GREY ConsumersCompare.org Update: Oct 24, 2024 |
Tropical Garcinia Claims
Tropical Garcinia claims are little different from any of the other “trial bottle! Buy today!” brands out there. Only this one doesn’t even bother to make it look professional. These are actual quotes from the sales page, as they are structured and spelled there: [2]
- An all natural weight loss supplement made from the most amazing fruit that world has ever seen
- …has been known by scientist has the most amazing weight loss ingredient in the world
- Increase weight loss diet
- Increase energy levels
- Boost in your metabolism
- Healthier weight loss
- Simple and natural supplement
- When it enters the body it moves right to the liver, once in the liver it starts to block the body from creating fat cells and spreading them throughout the body. After it is done effecting the liver Tropical Garcinia will move on to the rest of the body as it begins to turn the fat cells into energy. This will not only help you lose weight but will also help aid in the gaining energy in the body.
- Tropical Garcinia has other amazing effects in the body as well. One problem people have in the body is eating too much, this happens when you become depressed. When your body has lower serotonin levels, you then become depressed, when depressed is when you start feeling hungry and crave junk foods.
The Science (or Lack Thereof) Behind Tropical Garcinia
So we know Tropical Garcinia itself is a marketing scam designed to do little more than suck your wallet dry. But, as there are a LOT of Garcinia cambogia brands out there, let’s take a look at the science and see if there’s anything of note.
- G. cambogia is one of a number of tropical plants that contain hydroxycitric acid (HCA). G. cambogia extracts in particular contain higher concentrations, 60 percent in many cases, and that’s important because it’s really the HCA at work here. HCA, a citric acid derivative, is a complicated chemical compound that might possibly modulate lipid (fat) metabolism, meaning HCA may tweak fat absorption and banish fat—so claim proponents, as well as some science suggests. [4]
But potential modulating aside, according to other clinical research—except those studies funded by G. cambogia supplement manufacturers themselves—have debunked the claim that G. cambogia is effective for weight loss. There are however, a handful of conflicting studies that cast doubt on others’ research methods. For example, some really fat rats fed high doses of HCA saw some fat absorption decrease but HCA ended up being highly toxic to the rats’ testicles. [5] Here’s the thing: G. cambogia is very popular as a weight loss supplement and appetite suppressant. And supplement makers boast some pretty convincing endorsements, testimonials and so-called clinical trials. Then there’s the thousands of product reviewers who rave about some of the G. cambogia supplement brands; add in an endorsement or two from Dr. Oz, and you’ve got a craze. So what gives? Speaking in the most general of terms, and after having looked at more than a dozen studies, HCA does appear to help users lose a pound or two or maybe three more than people doing the very same diet and exercise program (or neither) and not using HCA. The difference is not statistically significant, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association: “Garcinia cambogia failed to produce significant weight loss and fat mass loss beyond that observed with placebo” [6] And other studies all have a similar theme: while there may be some weight loss, it is nominal and likely short-term. But people do lose weight and that’s the claim, so there you go. There are studies of merit, including one published in the 2011 Journal of Obesity which concluded that though the short-term small weight loss, while convincing, is based on incomplete evidence and trials. So the jury is still officially out. [7][8] In 2009, the FDA identified the consumption of the HCA-containing supplement Hydroxycut as a possible cause of liver damage. Hydroxycut had already changed its formula in 2004 when the FDA first banned ephedrine; the second formula replaced the ephedrine with Gymnemasylvestre, retaining the rest of the ingredients: Green Tea Extract, Konjac (a fiber source), Guarana, and G. cambogia extracts. The 2009 warning changed the formula again, after reports of liver damage and other health problems (rare cases, but enough for the FDA to issue a warning). Today, Hydroxycut has replaced all previous ingredients, no longer containing G. cambogia. [9][10] But several studies have indicated the culprit may not actually have been the HCA itself—and thus G. cambogia. Dr. Sidney J. Stohs, Pharmacy PhD from the University of Nebraska, and colleagues reported that while some cases of toxicity and specifically liver damage have been linked to the consumption of Hydroxycut products, it was premature to blame HCA for that damage. Their main reasoning was this: some of the Hydroxycut products they tested didn’t contain HCA, but did contain up to 20 other ingredients. So while the HCA might have been involved, there wasn’t irrefutable evidence of it. [11] Other studies, by Dr. Stohs and others, suggest that a moderate dose of single-ingredient G. cambogia (HCA), barring other pre-existing health problems, is safe: the maximum daily safe dosage was determined as 2800 mg/day (they never said, but one assumes it’s of that 60 percent concentration). Of course, research is ongoing. [11][12][13] The one thing almost all the research does agree on is that for safety’s sake, it’s best to pick a supplement that contains G. cambogia only. Most of the side effects have come from supplements mixing G. cambogia with other ingredients (usually potassium or a combination of potassium-calcium-chromium). And stick to that maximum dosage. As it does seem to work as an appetite suppressor for some people, it may well help in the short-term. But definitely find a different brand than Tropical Garcinia and their cash-vacuum scam.
Word on the Street About Tropical Garcinia
As this specific brand is only available through a negative-option marketing scam—and a poorly-written one at that—there are no reviews. But there are some things to consider about the market as a whole. Women’s Health magazine editors slammed makers of G. cambogia supplements in a scathing article about fraudulent claims. [14] It’s a good start when researching the reviews about G. cambogia supplements and lays bare the claims, the pros and the cons. One of the reasons G. cambogia supplements got so trendy is because popular TV host Dr. Mehmet Oz has endorsed them, just as he has with a number of other weight loss supplements, diets, nutrition programs, etc. And when he does endorse a product, the “Oz effect” helps sell that brand. For the record, Oz is a cardiothoracic surgeon (heart/lungs), not a nutritionist or food scientist, and while he is a well-known researcher in the specific field of cardiovascular medicine, he does have a record of promoting a great deal of pseudo-science. [15] In 2014, Dr. Oz was called before the Senate Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Insurance, chaired by Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO), to testify about weight loss supplements that make big claims with little or no scientific evidence to back them up. G. cambogia was among the supplements specifically mentioned. He was asked why he would back claims of “miracle” supplements he knew were “not true.” His reply: “There’s not a pill that’s going to help you long term lose weight without diet and exercise.” … But Oz did say the pills he promoted are safe and effective: “I do personally believe in the items I talk about in the show. I passionately study them. I recognize that oftentimes they don’t have the scientific muster to present as fact,” he said, later adding “I have given my family these products.” [16] To which Senator McCaskill replied: “People want to believe you can take an itty-bitty pill to push fat out of your body, [but] … the scientific community is almost monolithically against you.” [16] But while the word about G. cambogia products in general is still being debated, the specific brand we are reviewing—Tropical Garcinia—has zero consumer backing, positive or negative, because it’s simply not marketed that way.
The Bottom Line: Is Tropical Garcinia Worth a Try?
Definitely Not. A blatant, money-sucking scam for a supplement you can walk into any drugstore, grocery, or big-box retailer and get for a tenth the price. Run away as fast as you can.
