SUPPORT FOR THE CONDUCT OF STUDIES TO EVALUATE THE TOXICOLOGIC POTENTIAL OF Garcinia cambogia FOR THE NTP

Battelle Memorial Institute, Richland OH

Investigators

Abstract

Garcinia cambogia extract (GCE) was nominated for testing based on its widespread use as a diet aid and a lack of adequate toxicity data. It was the 6th best-selling dietary supplement in the U.S. in 2016 (Smith et al., 2017). GCE is prepared from the rind of Garcinia gummi-gutta (renamed from Garcinia cambogia) fruit and products containing GCE are marketed as ephedra-free diet aids. Purported effects of GCE include appetite suppression, inhibition of lipid synthesis, and fat burning via thermogenesis. Typically, the use of GCE as a weight loss supplement is via caplets taken prior to meals three times per day, resulting in a total dose of approximately 4,500-6,000 mg/day (~75-100 mg/kg/day for a 60 kg person). Due to the recommended regimen of GCE (3 times daily with food) as well as the traditional use of Garcinia as an ingredient in Indian cuisine, dosed-feed was selected as the route of administration, as opposed to oral gavage, which has typically been employed with herbal test articles and delivers a daily bolus dose.