The pharmacist says that people should talk to their doctor before they take it

A pharmacist has urged people to try a natural fat burner if they want to lose weight. Revealing it can help people shed a few pounds, Mari Carmen Padilla, has recommended a dietary supplement which people can buy at pharmacies.

The supplement to look out for is Garcinia. This is an “oriental fruit that has traditionally been used for weight loss”. She added that the fruit’s “effectiveness is due to hydroxycitric acid (HCA).”

According to the pharmacist, it has “two main effects” that promote weight loss. Taking to TikTok under the username @mcarmenpadillaseq, she firstly cautioned that before you do anything, she wants to remind people that you need to get advice from a professional before taking it.

She said that the reason you need to do this is because you need to adapt “your diet to your needs and objectives” which is how you can “lose weight in a healthy way” instead of rushing into quick fixes that may not show any results and instead do more harm than good.

Speaking about the supplement that can “help us accelerate this process a little bit” she said she can’t name a “specific brand because there are many”. So how does it work?

Padilla said it has a “satiating effect, so it eliminates that feeling of hunger.” Not only this, but it “acts on the mechanism of lipogenesis, which is the process of converting sugars into fat.

“Garcinia would prevent this, so we prevent these sugars from transforming into fat deposits. It also helps with constipation because it accelerates intestinal transit.”

Hailing it as a “natural fat burner” she says that whilst “Garcinia is usually considered safe”, there can be some side effects like fatty stools and some gastrointestinal discomfort. Because of this, it’s “very important to consult with your pharmacist before you start taking it, especially if you take some kind of medication or if you have a medical condition.”

Health experts from Holland & Barrett also say that this fruit can help, noting that “more serious side effects have been reported involving liver damage”, urging people to never “take garcinia cambogia if you’ve ever had liver problems.”

Concluding by urging people to try it if they think it could help them, the pharmacists stressed again that when it comes to weight loss, you also have to work hard behind the scenes, and that there is no magic pill.

She concluded: “I remind you again that the main tool for weight loss is to follow a diet that is adapted to our needs and objectives, and always prepared by professionals, such as nutritionists, dietitians or doctors.”

How much should I take?

According to Holland & Barrett, “since the 1960’s, garcinia cambogia has been used widely throughout the world as a weight-loss supplement.”

They say that most studies have been based on 900 mg to 3000mg of HCA of garcinia cambogia daily. Because of this, they say that “dosage recommendations on commercially available pills are generally lower, around 300mg – 1600mg daily.”