Safety of Garcinia Cambogia Validated in the Wake of the FDA’s Warning Letter

On May 1, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning letter to consumers to stop using Hydroxycut. The line of products was pulled from the market after reports of liver damage and one death, though those reports have yet to be documented.

The controversy surrounded the safety of one of Hydroxycut’s ingredients, a plant called Garcinia cambogia, which contains hydroxycitric acid (HCA). HCA extracts, trademarked as Citrin®, are found in many products. Those questions have now been addressed by research from Sabinsa Corp., which manufactures phytonutrients and Ayurvedic herbal extracts for nutritional, pharmaceutical, and food industries; they have brought over 100 standardized extracts to market with privately funded clinical studies. Several reports validating the safety of the Garcinia cambogia extract are available on their website for download.
Based on the long history of use of Garcinia cambogia fruits as food, the abundant literature which includes both preclinical and clinical studies, and Sabinsa Corp.’s clinical experience with Citrin®, there is no direct evidence, either epidemiological or clinical, that links Garcinia cambogia fruit rind extract with liver toxicity. In fact, its safety is supported by a variety of animal studies, in vitro experimental studies, and multiple human clinical trials. In 2007, GRAS status (“Generally Recognized as Safe”) was affirmed for the potassium salt of hydroxycitric acid by an independent panel of experts.
The May 12 issue of Pulse of Health Freedom spoke of the double standard in the FDA regulatory system—helpful, healthful supplements are often attacked, while dangerous drugs are approved. Send your comments to the FDA about the need to increase transparency at every level of the agency’s decision-making process. AAHF has joined with those who are educated daily by sites that include www.drmercola.com and www.naturalhealthnews.com to tell the FDA it’s time for reform.