Clinical Evaluation of Garcinia cambogia and Phaseolus vulgaris Extract for Obese Adults in Taiwan

Abstract

Being overweight and obesity are serious public health problems in numerous countries. This study describes an 8-week clinical evaluation of the effects of Garcinia cambogia and Phaseolus vulgaris extracts on overweight adults in Taiwan. In this study, 114 overweight adults were recruited and randomly divided into three groups: a G. cambogia extract group (which was given Super CitriMax), a P. vulgaris extract group (which was given Phase 2), and a placebo group (which was given maltodextrin). Each participant was administered 2800 mg/day of extract, extract, or a placebo for 8 consecutive weeks; participants' diets were not restricted during the intervention. Participants received nutritional education and anthropometric measurements once every 2 weeks starting from week 0, and hemobiochemical tests of the blood were conducted at weeks 0 and 8. The statistics of anthropometric measurements indicated that compared to week 0, by week 8 the waist, hip, and thigh circumferences of participants in the placebo group had significantly increased; whereas participants in the G. cambogia extract group had maintained their waist and hip circumferences and waist-hip ratios, while participants in the P. vulgaris extract group had also maintained their hip circumferences and waist-hip ratios. Results of the hemobiochemical analysis after 8 weeks showed that aspartate aminotransferase had decreased and fasting blood-glucose had stabilized in participants of the G. cambogia extract group, whereas high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol was elevated in participants in the P. vulgaris extract group.