So, you probably already know that I am against any type of drug for weight loss. I am even opposed to supplements until it is proven that you really need them, except for Omega 3. So, I never, ever pay attention to any of those miraculous new pills, plants, serums or similar that appears in the market from time to time. Today, something caught my attention, Garcinia Cambogia, but not for the product per se, but because I have been hearing in the background about Oprah Winfrey crying (I haven’t seen her so it may be true or not) while explaining her secret for losing “IDon’tKnowHowManySizes”.   So, when I saw her and Dr.Oz mentioned in the same article from Women’s Health, which landed into my personal Facebook page a few days ago: http://198.50.159.21/diet/us/garcinia/original/oprah1/?AFFID=2724 my curiosity made me watch Dr. Oz’s video, which I recommend you to do too.

 

I immediately wrote a first draft because it clearly shocked my senses. This is why I am writing this later, as a response… although I already knew that I needed some time to assimilate what was all about.

 

Garcinia Cambogia is a fruit from Asia. It is used for cooking in several countries, especially as a condiment to prepare curry dishes.

 

 

According to Dr. Chen, the guest host on the popular Dr. Oz show, the fruit is almost perfect not only for weight loss but also for emotional purposes, because increases serotonines, suppresses appetite, regulates sleep, and prevents fat from being made. It also manages cortisol, and therefore reducing belly fat. Well, a miraculous fruit in the end!

At that point of Dr.Chen explanations, Dr. OZ “got really excited with the science behind Garcinia Cambogia qualities”. Sounds like and scientific team is behind the study but I don’t know about any conclusive results.

 

To explain how the miracle works, Dr. Oz show had a very cute “machine” working as a liver, where Dr. Chen nicely pours a sugar saturated solution (the carbohydrates from our diets). The “liver” keeps inflating a balloon (a fat cell) which keeps getting bigger and bigger until it almost explodes! After having “Miraculours Garcinia Cambogia” the solution is blocked from entering the balloon and instead it moves to the other side of the machine called “NERGY”… The explanation they give is that the fruit is blocking the enzyme that transforms carbohydrates into fat, therefore having no way to go.  As you know, matter can’t be created or destroyed, so they explain that carbohydrates (sugar solution) are transformed into… ENERGY! So, what happens then? Are we hyperactive because of the extra energy? Nop! The video keeps going and claims that the energy is transformed into muscle! This happens without even exercising a bit…

 

Dr. Chen recommends miraculous Garcinia to her patients, not only because the weight loss properties, but because it also decreases cholesterol…

 

 

OK. Let me now read the story as a Biologist and under basic Biological concepts….

 

I became a Biologist precisely because of the “magic” part of Biology, but the “scientific magic”.  All Biology related subjects are magic…. Even more when you look to the human body functioning. As a Biologist you understand that everything has to be in perfect harmony and a minimal disruption, change or interference can result in a malfunction with different degrees of effects.

 

After 5 years of in depth Biological science courses, you really end up learning a few basic and essential principles, and a few of them are related to what we are talking here:

 

·         Do not mess with hormones

 

·         Do no mess with enzymes

 

·         Matter does not disappear

 

·         Muscle doesn’t exist without exercise

 

·         There is no such thing as a safe enzyme or hormone disruptor

 

·         Natural “disruptors” can be as harmful as pharmaceutical ones

 

·         Scientific studies need to be validated. The statistics associated to them are very easy to misunderstand, misinterpret and turn around. 

 

 I worked in research for a few years while completing my biological science degree, and I learned a bunch about scientific studies, their rats and the statistics associated.

 

I just want you to please, think twice before taking Garcinia Cambogia or any similar miraculous product.

 

The only thing miraculous is our body working in a perfect equilibrium. For every drug or natural product we ingest to try to fix something we can harm another perfect mechanism we might not even be aware of. We don’t know how something that may look safe can result in the middle to long term.

 

I always give the example of DDT. How it was perfectly safe in the 40’s and used in the households as the perfect solution for any pest and how now is absolutely banned for its harmful effects.

 

We might think that because the product is a natural fruit used in Asia it is safe to be consumed. They probably use it in such minimum concentrations that we can’t compare.

 

We also tend to think that because a doctor recommends it, it might be safe. Well, doctors sometimes don’t know better, other times don’t have a clue but are just trying to help fix one problem (maybe creating another without realizing) and some other times doctors just look at scientific studies and trust them, not knowing what’s behind it and not thinking that maybe more data is needed and maybe over the years the recommendation could be totally different.

 

Regarding natural products, let me explain a family experience…. My brother has been overweight for quite a few years, let’s say he started after quitting his basketball team as a teenager and starting to earn money, being busy and enjoying easy and tasty food. Is that story familiar by any chance? Well, a couple of years ago he started a “natural” treatment to lose weight that only required a few drops of a mix of natural products prepared by a “natural Doctor”. He started to lose weight miraculously without eating less, changing his diet or moving a muscle. It was SO GOOD and he looked really handsome! He not only lost weight but years and he looked as cool as ever… Well, one day, after a year taking the mix, he suddenly fainted in the middle of the street! We were all so scared! Here we go with all type of tests to look for a fatal disease! Everything was Ok except for several blood indicators (and I am not getting in the details of which ones). Nobody could understand what was going on…. Well, he stopped the drops and he was back to normal parameters in a matter of weeks…  

 

By the way, check if you see any scientific data in the Garcinia Cambogia web page https://buy-originalgarcinia.com/index.php?AFID=4g&AFFID=2724

 

Again, PLEASE! Just think twice before having Garcinia Cambogia or any similar miraculous product.

 

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Happy Thanksgiving!