Hydroxycitrate (HCA) for Weight Loss - Revisited

The hype around hydroxycitrate (HCA) as a remedy for obesity and general weight problems has long abated. Nevertheless, in a recent review (Onakpoya. 2010), scientists from the Peninsula Medical School at the University of Exeter reexamine past studies and come to the (surprising?) conclusion that

The evidence from RCTs suggests that Garcinia extracts/HCA generate weight loss on the short term. However, the magnitude of this effect is small, is no longer statistically significant when only rigorous RCTs are considered, and its clinical relevance seems questionable.

So, although the data from the study shows that there is a minor improvement in weight loss in the supplemented groups (cf. fig. 1, below)

Figure 1: Forest plot of comparison showing the effect of hydroxycitrate on body weight. The vertical line represents no difference in weight loss between HCA and placebo. (Onakpoya. 2010)

buying a pure HCA supplement for weight loss purposes is probably not worth it. There are certainly better fat-burners out there.