Effect of Feeding Garcinia Cambogia Extract (HCA) and/or L-Carnitine and Exercise on Body Weight in Rats

ABSTRACT

This study was performed to investigate the effect of feeding garcinia cambogia extract (HCA) and/or L-carnitine and exercise (swimming) on body weight in rats. Forty-eight male rats (Charles River CD (SD) IGS) of eight weeks old and weighing 323.5 +/- 2.4 g were raised for two months with high fat diet (40% fat as calorie) to induce obesity. After induction of obesity, rats weighing 552.8 +/- 5.8 g were blocked into eight groups according to body weight and raised for six weeks with diet containing HCA and/or L-carnitine. Plasma aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, total protein and albumin levels were in normal ranges. Food and calorie intakes of H + C and H + C/E groups were highest among non-exercise (NE) groups and exercise (E) groups. Food and calorie intakes of NE groups were higher than those of E groups. E groups showed significantly lower body weight gain and calorie efficiency ratio than NE groups and H/E group was the lowest among all groups. Perirenal fat pad weights of E groups were lower than NE groups, and epididymal fat pad weights of H and H + C groups were lower than CO and C groups among NE groups regardless of exercise treatment. Brown adipose tissue weights of E groups were higher than NE groups and highest in H/E group among all groups. Liver citrate lyase activities of H and C groups were lower than CO and H + C groups regardless of exercise treatment. The differences between NE groups and E groups were not found to be significantly. Liver carnitine acyltranferase activity was not significantly different among all groups. Fecal total lipid, triglyceride and total cholesterol excretions were found to be higher in H and H + C groups compared to CO and C groups both in NE and E animals, those of lipid excretions of NE groups were higher than E groups. In conclusion, HCA was more effective in reduction of body weight and body fat than L-carnitine or HCA + L-carnitine. HCA ingestion with exercise was far more effective than without exercise treatment in reducing body weight and body fat.